Internal Section

January 3

Some so-called rebel organizations in Shanghai seize control over Wenhui Bao (Wenhui Daily), one of China's major newspapers, and start so-called January storm. On January 1 Central Cultural Revolution Group, in name of Party Central Committee, State Council and Central Military Commission, send cable cong retaliating rebel organizations in Shanghai. This spreads January storm over whole country.

January 23

CPC Central Committee, State Council, Central Military Commission and ???Centra1Cultural Revolution Group jointly issue Decision on the PLA's Firm Support for the Revolutionary Left-Wing Masses. As this mobilizes People's Liberation Army to support Left, workers and the peasants and to institute military control and military training, all of which plays positive role in stabilizing chaotic situation of the time. Some negative consequences also result.

January 31

First reorganized local power institution Heilongjiang Provincial R6volutionary Committee established. By September 5, 1968, all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions except Taiwan set up revolutionary committees.

February

Zhou Enlai convenes meeting between leaders responsible for day-to-day work of Party Central Committee, government, army, and members of Central Cultural Revolution Group: Tan Zhenlin, Chen Yi, Ye Jianying, Li Fuchun, Li Xiannian, Xu Xiangqian, Nie Rongzhen and other veterans of revolution criticize the cultural revolution group for throwing Party, government, industry, agriculture and even army into disarray, exposes conspiracy of group to usurp leadership of Party, state and army by propagating ultra leftist ideas; This move comes to be labeled February Adverse Current, Zhou Enlai is censured, Zhu De and Chen Yun also wrongly criticized, Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee inactivated and completely replaced by Central Cultural Revolution Group.

April 8

Renmin Ribao (People's Daily) in editorial entitled Hold High the Proletarian Cultural Revolution's Flag of Criticism openly criticizes Liu Shaoqi as top Party person in power taking capitalist road, and issues a call to liquidate bourgeois reactionary line of 17 .years represented by Liu Shaoiqi.

May 22

Renmin Ribao (People's Daily) publishes editorial Immediately Stop Armed Fighting, revised and signed by Zhou Enlai.

June 6

Party's Central Committee in seven-point notice issues call to check the sinister wind of beating, smashing and looting.

June 17

China explodes its first hydrogen bomb.

July is

Jiang Qing, Kang Sheng and Chen Boda organize unauthorized Meeting to Criticize Liu Shaoqi. Meanwhile, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Tao Zhu are persecuted, their homes ransacked.

November 6

Editorial departments of Renmin Ribao, Hong Qi (Red Flag) and jiefangjun Bao (PLA Daily) jointly put out article, Advance Along the Road Opened UP by the October Socialist Revolution summarizing for first time Mao's theory on cultural revolution as six key points of continuous revolution under proletarian dictatorship.

1967

State stops fixed-interest payments to capitalists joint state-private economy is supplanted by socialist state-owned economy. China's social and economic order severely undermined, industry shows negative growth rate for first time since the years 1959-61.

¡¡ Foreign Relations

June 17

China releases press communique on successful explosion of China's first hydrogen bomb and points out China's nuclear testing is necessary and limited and it develops nuclear weapons solely for defense. Its ultimate aim is to eliminate nuclear weapons. China once again solemnly declares that on no occasion and under no circumstances will it be first to use nuclear weapons.

September 5.

China signs agreement with Tanzania and Zambia on China's assistance in construction of Tanzania-Zambia Railway (railway, 1,860 kilometers long, is started in October 1970 and completed in July 1976.).