Jiang Qing

Jiang Qing, also Chiang Ch'ing (1914-1991), Chinese actress, social and cultural activist, third wife of Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung) and leader of the so-called Gang of Four. Originally named Li Yunhe, she changed her name to Lan Ping when she became an actress in the 1930s. In 1937 she joined the Communist camp in Yenan (Yehnan), where she met and married Mao. After the Communist victory in 1949 she became influential in cultural circles; during the 1960s she revolutionized the Beijing Opera by replacing the traditional repertoire with works emphasizing Mao's doctrine. This led to her increasing involvement in politics. She subsequently became a central figure in the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1969 and, because of her closeness to Mao, one of the most powerful of China's leaders. She was noted for her inflammatory speeches to Red Guards and her attacks on traditional culture. She also helped secure the double purging of Deng Xiaoping. After Mao's death in 1976, however, she and three of her radical cohorts, dubbed the Gang of Four, were arrested and charged with a series of crimes, including treason; they were tried in late 1980. Convicted, Jiang received a death sentence, which was, however, commuted to life imprisonment in 1983. She reportedly committed suicide on May 14, 1991.