May 16 marks the 50th anniversary of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, a destructive Chinese political movement launched by communist dictator Mao Zedong. The campaign created tens of millions of victims, particularly among intellectuals and other “class enemies.”
In ten years of mandated chaos, millions were killed or driven to suicide in state-sanctioned violence, while zealous young ideologues, the infamous Red Guards, travelled about the country destroying and denigrating China’s traditions and heritage.
A revolutionary ballet performed in Beijing in 1972. Bryon Schumaker/PD-US
