Brill’s Encyclopedia of China

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April Fifth Movement
(499 words)

On the occasion of the Chinese Qingming festival (Grave Sweeping Day) in late March and early April 1976, massive mourning and protest gatherings were held in at least 40 provincial cities and in Beijing. Hundreds of thousands mourned the death of Premier Zhou Enlai who had died in January 1976 and who had been perceived as exponent of a course towards political and economic consolidation within the Chinese leadership. At the same time, parts of the protesters directed vehement attacks against t…

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Heilmann, Sebastian, “April Fifth Movement”, in: Brill’s Encyclopedia of China, Managing Editor English Edition: Daniel Leese. Consulted online on 28 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-0339_bec_SIM_00028>
First published online: 2008
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004168633, 20121018



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