The Cultural Revolution on Trial ; Mao and the Gang of Four (Studies of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University)

The Trial Of Cultural Revolution Leaders, Including Mao's Widow And Her Gang Of Four, Was The Signal Event In China's Post-mao Transition. In Its Wake, Chinese Socialism Emerged From The Rubble Of The Cultural Revolution To Create The China That We Know Today. This Spectacular Show Trial Was A Curious Example Of Transitional Justice, Marking A Break From The Trauma Of The Past, A Shift To The Present Era Of Reform, And A Blueprint For Building A Better Future. In This Groundbreaking Reconstruction Of The Most Famous Trial In Chinese History, Alex Cook Shows How The Event Laid The Cornerstone For A New Model Of Socialist Justice; At The Same Time, A Comparison Of Official Political And Legal Sources With Works Of Popular Literature Reveals The Conflicted Cultural Dimensions Of This Justice. The Result, Cook Argues, Saved Chinese Socialism As Ruling Ideology, But At The Cost Of Its Revolutionary Soul-- Introduction -- Indictment -- Monsters -- Testimony -- Emotions -- Verdict -- Vanity -- Conclusion. Alexander C. Cook, University Of California, Berkeley. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 235-269) And Index. "The trial of Cultural Revolution leaders, including Mao's widow and her Gang of Four, was the signal event in China's post-Mao transition. In its wake, Chinese socialism emerged from the rubble of the Cultural Revolution to create the China that we know today. This spectacular show trial was a curious example of transitional justice, marking a break from the trauma of the past, a shift to the present era of reform, and a blueprint for building a better future. In this groundbreaking reconstruction of the most famous trial in Chinese history, Alex Cook shows how the event laid the cornerstone for a new model of socialist justice; at the same time, a comparison of official political and legal sources with works of popular literature reveals the conflicted cultural dimensions of this justice. The result, Cook argues, saved Chinese socialism as ruling ideology, but at the cost of its revolutionary soul"-- Provided by publisher 01 front matter 1 02 Contents 7 03 Figures 8 04 Acknowledgments 9 05 Abbreviations 11 06 Glossary 13 07 Introduction 17 08 1 - Indictment 51 09 2 - Monsters 94 10 3 - Testimony 119 11 4 - Emotions 152 12 5 - Verdict 185 13 6 - Vanity 217 14 conclusion 243 15 Index 251 16 end matter 259 Introduction -- Indictment -- Monsters -- Testimony -- Emotions -- Verdict -- Vanity -- Conclusion -- Index of Chinese terms