Red Chapters - "The Play’s the Thing": China’s Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution, which started in 1966, had less to do with culture than with a violent attempt to control the minds of the Chinese people. Yet it was a play, which slyly criticized Chairman Mao, that raised the curtain on this horrendous period in China’s history, acting as a catalyst for the brutal reforms. Beginning with an excerpt from The Dismissal of Hai Rui, this program presents the details of the movement that led to the deaths of half a million people before finally consuming itself. Jack Gray, author of Rebellions and Revolutions, and Zhang Yongning, son of a Party official, offer their insights into the Communist politics of the day.