Another Casualty of the Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution threw up countless casualties, and the case of Zhang Zhixin can be seen as a mere drop in the bucket.

Arrested during the mass movement which began in 1966, Zhang's "crime" was to have suggested that Liu Shaoqi (刘少奇) - Mao Zedong's (毛泽东) chief personal target in the Cultural Revolution - had not been wrong and disloyal in everything he said.

She was kept in harsh conditions in prison, with an inmate overseer who was promised a sentence reduction if she could make Zhang repent. Zhang, however, remained steadfast.

Finally, Zhang's stubborn support for Liu produced a decision to execute her. The provincial leadership approved the execution, though it was unclear why the case reached such a high level.

"The day before the execution, Zhang's vocal chords were cut out with anesthesia "to make sure she would not shout reactionary slogans" at her public execution. She was shot the following day." (Kenneth Liberthal, From Revolution Through Reform)

Certainly one of the darkest chapters in contemporary Chinese history.