User:PenangLion/Huairen Hall coup

The Huairen Hall coup, also referred to as the Eradicate the Gang of Four campaign, was a coup d'état led by then premier of China Hua Guofeng to topple the Gang of Four of the Cultural Revolution Group (CRG) on 6 October 1976. The coup, backed by defense minister Ye Jianying, director of the Central Office Wang Dongxing and several important military personnel, involved the quarantine of Zhongnanhai in the pretext of investigation against CCP vice chairman Wang Hongwen, vice premier of China Zhang Chunqiao, Politburo members Jiang Qing and Yao Wenyuan, as well as Mao Yuanxin, the nephew of the recently deceased Mao Zedong.

On the morning of 7 October, in a top secret meeting of the Politburo, Hua was appointed as the paramount leader of China, thereby concluding the Cultural Revolution that had been launched since 1966. Afterwards, the Gang of Four and its main followers were purged from power, and received severe legal ramifications.

Background
Following the death of paramount leader Mao Zedong, there exists a power vacuum in the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The main political factions of the CCP, namely the "talents" of Hua Guofeng, Wang Dongxing, Chen Xilian, Ji Dengquan and Wu De, the "veterans" of Ye Jianying and Li Xiannian, and the "revolutionaries" of Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen and Mao Yuanxin, engaged in a ferocious power struggle.