Chen Boda

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Chen Boda (Chinese: 陈伯达, Chén Bódá) was born 1904 in Hui'an (Fujian province, China) and died on 20 September 1989 in Beijing.

He was a communist organizer who participated in the 1926–1927 Northern Expedition and later went to Moscow to study for four years. In 1930, Chen Boda returned to China to teach in Beijing. From 1937 on, he worked as a teacher in Yan'an.

In 1951, he wrote an article with the title "Mao Zedong's theory of the Chinese Revolution is the combination of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese Revolution" and a book entitled Mao Zedong on the Chinese Revolution. These works made him one of the most important interpreters of Mao Zedong's thoughts. In 1958, he became the editor of the party journal Hongqi (The Red Flag).

Chen Boda participated in the Cultural Revolution and became a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo. In 1971, he spoke out against excesses and suddenly disappeared.

After the Cultural Revolution, he was tried by the new regime as a collaborator with the Gang of Four. He was sentenced to eighteen years in prison, but was released shortly afterwards due to his ill health.