ABSTRACT
Mao Zedong's initial conception of the Cultural Revolution had limited the campaign to the arenas of education and culture. Most old rebels had been ordinary workers before the Cultural Revolution began. Before the Cultural Revolution, Zhang Yuanqi's portfolio at the factory included personnel as well as security matters. Wang Hongwen's support of Zhang Yuanqi apparently stemmed not only from their previous cooperation on security issues but also from Wang's calculation that Zhang's control of personnel appointments might facilitate his own promotion in the future. The Shanghai Party Committee (SPC) issued a notice recognizing the Workers' General Headquarters (WGH) and its revolutionary activities. In 1958, as part of the Great Leap Forward, an urban commune was set up in Shanghai. Between September 1960 and October 1962, during the terrible famine that followed the Great Leap Forward, Wang was sent to Chongming Island to participate in reclamation and flood-prevention work.
