Heavy-handed Action (After the "91-3 Incident," Zhou Enlai)

Author: Chen Yangyong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: On the 30th anniversary of Premier Zhou Enlai's passing, to commemorate this century-old great figure, the author wrote "HeavyStriking: Zhou Enlai After the September 13 Incident." From the perspective of writing, the book selects Zhou Enlai's unremitting efforts and arduous journey in vigorously correcting "leftism" and criticizing extreme-leftist thought in all aspects after the Lin Biao Incident as the main thread. Around this main thread, it comprehensively reflects Zhou Enlai's major activities, ideological trajectory, and historical contributions in the later period of the Cultural Revolution.
On the early morning of September 13, 1971, a shocking event occurred in China's political life: Lin Biao, who had just been elected as the Vice Chairman of the Central Committee two years earlier at the "Ninth Congress" and was designated as Mao Zedong's "successor" in the new Party Constitution, fled the country in a private plane after his plot to murder Mao Zedong, launch a military coup, and seize the supreme leadership of the Party and the State was exposed. At this critical moment that the fate of the Party and the State, Zhou Enlai remained calm and composed, directing operations with certainty, stayed awake for 363 consecutive nights, and handled the incident with wisdom and decisiveness, ensuring that the Party and the State turned from danger to safety.
The Lin Biao Incident was a major turning point in the "Cultural Revolution." Objectively, it declared the failure of the theory and practice of the "Cultural Revolution," providing an opportunity for Zhou Enlai to criticize extreme-leftist thought and correct some of the erroneous practices since the "Cultural Revolution."