Chen Boda

Template:Chinese-name Chen Boda (simplified Chinese: 陈伯达; traditional Chinese: 陳伯達; pinyin: Chén Bódá) was born 1904 in Hui'an (Fujian province, China) and died on 20 September 1989 in Beijing.

He was a communist organizer who participated in the 1926–1927 Northern Expedition and later went to Moscow to study for four years. In 1930, Chen Boda returned to China to teach in Beijing. From 1937 on, he worked as a teacher in Yan'an.

In 1951, he wrote an article with the title Mao Zedong's theory of the Chinese Revolution is the combination of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese Revolution and a book entitled Mao Zedong on the Chinese Revolution. These works made him one of the most important interpreters of Mao Zedong's thoughts. In 1958, he became the editor of the party journal Hongqi (The Red Flag).

During the Lushan Conference (July 1959), because Mao was no longer the head of the CPP at this time (Liu Shaoqi was in place), and as he didn't want to lose credibility in front of the CPP, he used Chen Boda to criticise Peng Dehuai.

Chen Boda was placed as temporary head of the Communist government's propaganda machine alongside Jiang Qing during the Cultural Revolution when the previous leader, Lu Ting-yi was deposed. (Mao's China by Maurice Meisner, page 311, second paragraph)

Chen Boda participated in the Cultural Revolution and became a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo. In 1971, he spoke out against excesses and suddenly disappeared. "The turmoil ages of China" Wang Nianyi After the Cultural Revolution, he was tried by the new regime as a collaborator with the Gang of Four. He was sentenced to eighteen years in prison, but was released shortly afterwards due to his ill health.