Yao Wenyuan, the last surviving member of the infamous "Gang of Four" that led China through 10 tortuous years of the 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution, has died. Yao died on December 23 of diabetes, the official Xinhua news agency announced Friday. He was 74.No reason was given for the delay in announcing Yao's death, but the Cultural Revolution remains a sensitive political issue in China and this year marks the 40th anniversary of its start and the 30th anniversary of its end. A former propaganda official and writer, Yao's political star rose after he joined up with Jiang Qing, the third wife of Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and two fellow Shanghai politicians, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen.
The four unleashed chaos nationwide during their 10-year reign. Chinese society was turned upside down as armies of youthful and ideologically-charged "Red Guards" ransacked homes and offices of millions looking for "capitalist roaders" and "bourgeois running dogs." All four were arrested in 1976 following the death of Mao and were sentenced to long jail terms with Jiang and Zhang sentenced to life in prison.
Yao finished his 20-year sentence in 1996 and lived out the rest of his life queitly in Beijing. Jiang, who never repented her actions, reportedly committed suicide in prison in 1991, while Wang died in 1992 and Zhang died in April last year.
| Good riddance to the lot of them... |