Today in the Cultural Revolution 1966‑1968

This page links to issues of The People's Daily (人民日報) published on this calendar date in 1966, 1967, and 1968. Each link opens the digitised newspaper with an English translation generated by a large‑language model.

Cultural Revolution Timeline: The Early Years

• 1966, Feb – Beijing mayor Peng Zhen's “Outline Report on Current Academic Discussions” from the Cultural Revolution Group
• 1966, May – Nie Yuanzi big‑character poster accusing Beijing University vice‑chancellor of undermining the Cultural Revolution
• 1966 – “May Sixteenth Circular” condemning Peng Zhen's outline report and purging Peng
• 1966, May – Maoist Cultural Revolution Group becomes the Central Cultural Revolution Group headed by Chen Boda
• 1966, May – First Red Guards at Tsinghua University secondary school
• 1966, Jun – People's Daily editorial “Sweep Away All Monsters and Demons”, reproduces Nie Yuanzi's poster
• 1966, Jul – Mao swims in the Yangzi near Wuhan
• 1966, Jul – Mao calls enlarged meeting for the Cultural Revolution Group
• 1966, Aug – Mao's “Bombard the Headquarters” poster
• 1966, Aug – Central Committee issues the “Sixteen Points” of the Cultural Revolution
• 1966, Aug – Campaign to “Destroy the Four Olds and cultivate the Four News” launched
• 1966, Sep – Red Guards from Beijing (including Nie Yuanzi) attempt to occupy CCP headquarters in Shanghai, repelled by locals
• 1966, Nov – Shanghai Workers' Revolutionary Rebel Headquarters created
• 1967 – “January Power Seizure” wave
• 1967, Jan – First Revolutionary Committee established in Heilongjiang
• 1967, Feb – Attempt to form a Shanghai Commune
• 1967 – “February adverse current” guidelines issued by Mao
• 1967 – “Counter‑revolutionary May 16 Conspiracy”
• 1967, Jul – Wuhan Incident
• 1967, Aug – Seizure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and burning of the British Embassy
• 1967, Oct – Classes ordered to resume
• 1967, Oct – Mao calls for revolutionary organisations to forge “great alliances”
• 1967–69 – Campaign to Purify Class Ranks
• 1968, Mar – Joint editorial “Revolutionary Committees Are Good” widely published
• 1968, Jul – Mao convenes meeting with leading Red Guard figures in Beijing for self‑critique
• 1968, Oct – Liu Shaoqi expelled from the CCP
• 1968 – PLA re‑establishes order, often through violent crackdowns that contribute heavily to the Cultural Revolution death toll