Books
5 Best Novels About Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976
Bestselling authors first, then star rating.
Phase
Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976
1966–1976 CE
The Cultural Revolution began in 1966 when Mao Zedong encouraged attacks on alleged “bourgeois” authority and traditional culture. Red Guard groups targeted teachers, officials, intellectuals and rival political factions, while schools, workplaces and local government were disrupted by mass campaigns, denunciations and violence.
Military intervention gradually restored order, but political campaigns, forced labour, rural exile and ideological surveillance continued until 1976. The movement ended after Mao’s death and the arrest of the Gang of Four, leaving deep personal and institutional damage across Chinese society.
Mo Yan’s Big Breasts and Wide Hips shows the Cultural Revolution as one destructive stage in a family’s twentieth-century ordeal. Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out approaches the same period through rural households and animal reincarnations, exposing the absurdity and danger of slogans imposed on everyday life.
Related people for Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976
Non-Fiction
5 Best Non-Fiction Books About Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976
Histories, biographies and reference works are listed separately from the historical novels above.
