Gang of Four and which were the result of the Gang of Four's own planning. The Gang of Four, together with disgraced general Lin Biao who died in 1971, were labeled the two major "counter-revolutionary forces" of the Cultural Revolution and officially blamed by the Chinese government for the worst excesses of the societal chaos that ensued during the ten years of turmoil. Their downfall on October 6, 1976, a mere month after Mao's death, brought about major celebrations on the streets of Beijing and marked the end of a turbulent political era in China. Their fall did not amount to a rejection
Gang of Four 6 October 1976, Hua had the four leading radicals and a number of their lesser associates arrested. Han Suyin gave a detailed account of their overthrow: According to historian Immanuel C.Y. Hsü, the operation was not completely bloodless — Wang Hongwen killed two of the guards trying to capture him, and was wounded himself before being subdued. Beginning on 21 October, nationwide denunciations of the Gang began, which culminated in the December release of files related to the Gang's alleged crimes to the public. Chinese media blamed the Gang of Four for all the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. Celebrations