Death and state funeral of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong[lower-alpha 1] (/ˈmaʊ (d)zəˈdʊŋ/;[1] December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death on September 9, 1976, at the age of 82.
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Date | 9–18 September 1976 |
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Location | Beijing, China |
Participants | Hua Guofeng, party and state leaders, members of the Communist Party of China, Chinese military and civilians |
Death
Mao's last public appearance—and the last known photograph of him alive—was on May 27, 1976, when he met the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto during the latter's one-day visit to Beijing.[2] On September 5, Mao's condition became critical, and Hua Guofeng called Jiang Qing, Mao's wife, back from her trip. She spent only a few minutes visiting him in Building 202 (where Mao was staying) before returning to her own residence in the Spring Lotus Chamber. On the afternoon of September 7, Mao's condition took a turn for the worse. Jiang Qing went to Building 202 where she learned the news. Mao had just fallen asleep and needed the rest, but she insisted on rubbing his back and moving his limbs, and she sprinkled powder on his body. The medical team protested that the dust from the powder was not good for his lungs, but she instructed the nurses on duty to follow her example later. The next morning, September 8, she went again. She demanded the medical staff to change Mao's sleeping position, claiming that he had been lying too long on his left side. The doctor on duty objected, knowing that he could breathe only on his left side, but she had him moved nonetheless. Mao's breathing stopped and his face turned blue. Jiang Qing left the room while the medical staff put him on a respirator and performed emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Mao was revived, but Hua Guofeng urged Jiang Qing not to interfere further with the doctors' work, as her actions were detrimental to Mao's health and ultimately helped cause his death faster. Mao Zedong died just after midnight, at 00:10, on September 9, 1976, at age 82. The Communist Party of China delayed the announcement of his death until 16:00 later that day, when a radio message broadcast across the nation announced the news of Mao's passing while appealing for party unity.[3]
Reactions
Members of the funeral committee
- Hua Guofeng (member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, First Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, Premier of the State Council, Minister of Public Security)
- Wang Hongwen (Chairman of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee)
- Ye Jianying (Chairman of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Secretary General of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense)
- Zhang Chunqiao (President of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission, Director of the General Political Department of the PLA)
Wei Guoqing, Liu Bocheng, Jiang Qing, Xu Shiyou, Ji Dengkui, Wu De, Wang Dongxing, Chen Yonggui, Chen Xilian, Li Xiannian, Li Desheng, Yao Wenyuan, Wu Guixian, Su Zhenhua, Ni Zhifu, Saifuddin Azizi , Soong Ching Ling, Guo Moruo, Xu Xiangqian, Nie Rongzhen, Chen Yun, Tan Zhenlin, Li Jingquan, Zhang Dingzhen, Cai Chang, Ulanhu, Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, Zhou Jianren, Xu Dezhen, Hu Yuwen, Li Suwen, Yao Lianwei, Wang Zhen, Yu Qiuli, Gu Mu, Sun Jian, Su Yu, Shen Yanbing, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai and Jiang Hua.
Funeral and memorial service
Mao's embalmed, CPC-flag-draped body lay in state at the Great Hall of the People for one week.[16] During this period, one million people (none of them foreign diplomats,[16] and many crying openly or displaying some kind of sadness)[17] filed past Mao to pay their final respects. Chairman Mao's official portrait was hung on the wall, with a banner reading: "Carry on the cause left by Chairman Mao and carry on the cause of proletarian revolution to the end", until September 17.[16] On September 17, Chairman Mao's body was taken in a minibus from the Great Hall of the people to Maojiawan to the 305 Hospital that Liu Zhisui directed, and Mao's internal organs were preserved in formaldehyde.[16]
Notes
- This is a Chinese name; the family name is Mao.
References
- "Mao Zedong". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
- Chang & Halliday 2005
- "Mao Tse-Tung Dies In Peking At 82; Leader Of Red China Revolution; Choice Of Successor Is Uncertain". The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
- "澳大利亚总理弗雷泽的唁电". 人民日報. 1976-09-12.
- "法国总统德斯坦的唁电". 人民日報. 1976-09-12.
- "Death of Chairman Mao Tse-tung, P.M.'s Condolence Message" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 9 September 1976. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- 金日成 (1976-09-11). "金日成同志的唁电". 人民日報.
- "巴基斯坦總統、總理發來的唁電". 人民日報. 1976-09-11.
- "國代呼籲大陸同胞 及時奮起摧毀暴政". 聯合報. 1976-09-11.
- 齊奧塞斯庫 (1976-09-11). "齐奥塞斯库同志的唁电". 人民日報.
- "共匪拒收 俄共唁電". 聯合報. 1976-09-15.
- 詹姆斯·卡拉汉 (1976-09-12). "英国首相卡拉汉的唁电". 人民日報.
- "美国总统福特的唁电". 人民日報. 1976-09-14.
- "越南劳动党中央、国会常务委员会和政府会议的唁电". 人民日報. 1976-09-12.
- 约瑟普·布罗兹·铁托 (1976-09-11). "南斯拉夫总统铁托的唁电". 人民日報.
- Christine Quigley (1998). Modern Mummies: The Preservation of the Human Body in the Twentieth Century (illustrated, reprint ed.). McFarland. pp. 40–42. ISBN 978-0-7864-2851-9. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- S. L. James. "China: Communist History Through Film". Internet Archive. Retrieved July 28, 2015.