19. Jiang Qing was the fourth and final wife of what Chinese political figure known for organizing the sociopolitical movement known as "The Cultural Revolution"?
From Quiz China Girl
Answer:
Mao Zedong
Qing married the first Chairman of China, Mao Zedong, in November 1938 and is historically known as being the initial "First Lady" of the People's Republic of China. Her life in politics began when Mao became Chairman. During the 1950s, she was the director of Film in the Central Propaganda Department and eventually became a member of the Department of Culture. Following criticisms as a result of the Great Leap Forward, Mao gave Jiang the power to help persecute enemies of his regime, becoming a member of the "Gang of Four". Much of her political influence in China during the 1960s and 1970s was through the use of the arts; particularly opera and ballet. She established what became known as the "Eight Model Plays", revolutionary plays or operas sometimes viewed as "propaganda" in nature. After the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, Jiang along with the other members of the Gang of Four were arrested for treason and counter-revolutionary activity. Jiang was sentenced to death in 1981, but her sentence was overturned to life in prison in 1983. In 1991, she was transported to a hospital after being diagnosed with throat cancer and committed suicide by hanging herself in a hospital bathroom.