Burial
Forbidden to lay wreaths on the Martyrs Memorial in honour of Chou, causes disorder
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1976 in China
Explore 30 historical events and records for China in 1976.
Historical records for China in 1976
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 30 of 30 unique records.
30Unique records
1 of 1Page
22Named events on this page
12Named people on this page
4Places on this page
January
Death of Chou En-Lai
Death of En-Lai, age 78
April
Dismissal
A demonstration turns into a riot & the "Gang of Four" depose Xiaoping
Tiananmen Incident
Crowds mourning Zhou Enlai clash with authorities during the Tiananmen Incident
Tiananmen Incident
Deng Xiaoping is blamed by radicals after public mourning for Zhou Enlai becomes political protest
Dismissal of Deng
Mao approves Deng Xiaoping's removal from all posts after the Tiananmen Incident
July
Disaster
255,000 perish during an earthquake
Earthquake
255,000 perish during an earthquake
September
Death of Mao Tse-Tung
Death of Mao Tse-Tung, age 82
Death of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong dies, leaving the Cultural Revolution radicals vulnerable
Death of Mao Zedong
Death of Mao Zedong
Succession
Hua Guofeng becomes Mao's chosen successor during the final crisis of the Cultural Revolution
Burial
300,000 Chinese file past Maos body in the Great Hall of the People
October
Arrest of Gang of Four
Zhang Chunqiao is arrested as the new leadership moves against the Cultural Revolution radicals
Arrest of Gang of Four
Hua Guofeng orders the arrest of the Gang of Four, including Mao's widow Jiang Qing
Arrest of Gang of Four
Wang Hongwen is arrested with the Gang of Four after Mao's death
Arrest of Gang of Four
Jiang Qing is arrested with other Gang of Four leaders
Arrest of Gang of Four
Yao Wenyuan is arrested as part of the Gang of Four
Arrest of Jiang Qing
Jiang Qing is arrested with other Gang of Four leaders
Arrest of Jiang Qing, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan and Zhang Chunqiao
Hua Guofeng orders the arrest of the Gang of Four, including Mao's widow Jiang Qing
Arrest of Wang Hongwen
Wang Hongwen is arrested with the Gang of Four after Mao's death
Arrest of Yao Wenyuan
Yao Wenyuan is arrested as part of the Gang of Four
Arrest of Zhang Chunqiao
Zhang Chunqiao is arrested as the new leadership moves against the Cultural Revolution radicals
Chairman
Appointed Chairman of the Central Committee
Arrest of Chiang Ching
Maos widow is arrested
Chairman
Appointed Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party
Other events (month unknown)
Coup
As a leading member of the Gang-of-Four carries out a failed attempt to win power
Death of Chu Teh
Death of Chu Teh
Death of Deng Xiaoping
Death of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping is recalled
Prime Minister of China
Appointed Prime Minister of China
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.