Hua Guofeng's cult of personality

"With Flowers to Chairman Hua," a ballet dedicated to Hua Guofeng. Performed in Shanghai, 1978.

Hua Guofeng's cult of personality was the attempted cult of personality of Hua Guofeng, who became the second Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1976 until 1981, after the death of former chairman Mao Zedong.[1] After ceasing power in 1976, Hua Guofeng attempted to establish a cult of personality around himself by closely associating himself with Mao's legacy. He adopted Mao's style, including his distinctive hairstyle, and often emulated Mao's public demeanor. State media and propaganda were employed extensively to project Hua as Mao's rightful successor.[2][3] During the height of Hua's personality cult, the number of portraits and images of Hua even surpassed those of Mao.[4]

With the rise of Deng Xiaoping Hua became more and more unpopular, inside and outside the party. At the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee Deng effectively took control over China, replacing Hua as the Leader of China.[5][6] Hua Guofeng died on 20 August 2008 in Beijing, China.[7]

  1. ^ Jeffries, Ian (2010-07-23). Political Developments in Contemporary China: A Guide. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-96519-7.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  4. ^ Nakajima 2002, p. 231.
  5. ^ "Analysis | 40 years ago, Deng Xiaoping changed China — and the world". Washington Post. 2021-12-07. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).