The role of Zhou Enlai in the Cultural Revolution: A contradictory image from diverse sources

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has worked hard of late to create a large r-than-life and infallible image of Zhou Enlai's role in the Cultural Revol ution through the use of massive, inaccurate data in numerous official publ ications. At the same time, the CCP also keeps thousands of archives of Zho u's activities in the Cultural Revolution as "top state secrets." Based on newly published materials including memoirs, interviews with participants o f the Cultural Revolution, and many party leader speeches both reprinted in the West as well as delivered to the "masses" in China during the Cultural Revolution, this paper strongly challenges the perfect image of Zhou that exists in these official publications in China. According to author's textu al examination, Zhou was the one who served as Mao's enthusiastic helper an d strong supporter for launching the cataclysm. Zhou was the one who cooper ated with the so-called "arch-criminals" of the Cultural Revolution-Lin Bia o and the "Gang of Four"-on many occasions. Zhou tried his best to follow M ao closely by supporting the chaotic mass movements of the period.