By Longshan Fu
From the 1960s through the late 1980s, Deng Xiaoping, China’s reform architect and former paramount leader, reportedly survived seven assassination attempts—many believed to have been orchestrated by Mao Zedong and his inner circle. Newly declassified archives and eyewitness accounts reveal a chilling chapter in modern Chinese political history.
Why was Deng Xiaoping targeted?
According to declassified documents released in 2013 under the authority of then-party leader Hu Jintao, the archives cover “all cases of armed attacks, assaults and assassinations against party, government, and military officials” from Oct. 1, 1949 to December 1982.
Historians argue Mao saw Deng as a formidable rival whose pragmatic policies threatened Mao’s ideological dominance. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong reportedly made repeated attempts to eliminate Deng Xiaoping. Although Mao acknowledged Deng’s abilities, Deng often sat far from him during meetings, paid little attention to Mao’s remarks, and showed no visible loyalty. These gestures deepened Mao’s resentment, leading him to plot seven assassination attempts against Deng.
Seven shocking attempts on Deng Xiaoping’s life
1. 1969 — Gunfire at his Jiangxi residence
Confined to a remote infantry school during the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping’s compound was stormed by armed militia on Oct. 23. Bullets riddled the area, but Deng escaped by what the records call a “targeting error” — only his guards were hit.
2. 1973 — Plane en route to Beijing disintegrated mid-air
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
A Soviet-made Il-14 aircraft sent to bring Deng back to Beijing from Jiangxi broke apart over Anhui province. Then the mission was abruptly aborted. Yet another attempt to eliminate Deng failed, leaving Mao with no choice but to appoint him to oversee the Party’s central operations.
3. 1975 — Sniper attack during a walk
As Mao’s health declined, his hostility toward Deng allegedly intensified. While visiting Shanxi’s Dazhai region, Deng was fired upon by a sniper. The assailant fled, and the case remains unsolved.
4. 1976 — Suspicious fire during house arrest
In April 1976, seizing on the “April Fifth” Tiananmen Incident that erupted after Premier Zhou Enlai’s death, Mao stripped Deng Xiaoping of all his Party and government posts and placed him under house arrest on the first floor of Building No. 5 at the Beijing Military Region’s Yuquanshan Guesthouse.
An electrical blaze destroyed rooms 101–110 of the guesthouse. Deng was scheduled for a bath that night and narrowly escaped.
5. 1976 — Automotive sabotage
Deng declined a trip to a mountain resort under the pretext of a medical check — perhaps sensing danger. Later, investigators found the car assigned to transport him had a front axle that had been tampered with. Had Deng boarded the vehicle, a fatal crash would likely have been unavoidable.
6. 1980 — Gunfire at military meeting
During a Jinan military inspection, gunfire erupted after Deng’s speech. Guards shielded him as attackers shouted anti-Deng slogans.
7. 1988 — Armed assault in a Shanghai hotel
Four Maoist extremists stormed Deng’s hotel during Chinese New Year. A shootout left three dead and one captured. Authorities recovered silenced weapons, explosives, and maps of Deng’s residence.
Mao Zedong’s final days
According to Zhang Yufeng, Mao Zedong’s personal secretary, the Chinese leader wanted to keep power within his family. In his final days, Mao reportedly pushed for his nephew, Mao Yuanxin, to succeed him. Zhang recalls that Mao drafted a list of Politburo Standing Committee members and sought feedback from her and Mao Yuanxin. Both assured him the names were loyal to Mao and the Party. Mao dismissed their comments, saying: “Enough. You’re loyal to the Mao family.”
Mao’s initial list included Jiang Qing, Hua Guofeng, Chen Xilian, Mao Yuanxin, Ji Dengkui, Zhang Yufeng, and Wu De. Later, he added Xie Jingyi, Wang Hongwen, and Wang Dongxing. Mao reportedly believed Jiang Qing had too many enemies and was overly self-promotional, making her unsuitable. He considered Mao Yuanxin the best candidate, supported by Hua Guofeng and others.
On another occasion, Mao revised the list, placing Mao Yuanxin first, followed by Hua Guofeng, Chen Xilian, Ji Dengkui, Zhang Yufeng, Wu De, Jiang Qing, Xie Jingyi, Wang Hongwen, and Yu Qiuli. Mao warned that Wang Dongxing was ambitious and had ties to Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao, and Premier Zhou Enlai.
Mao wanted Liu, Zhou, and Zhu gone before him
Hong Kong media reported that in March 2014, the Chinese Communist Party asked Zhang Yufeng, Mao Yuanxin, Hua Guofeng, and Wang Dongxing to help recover Mao’s late directives.
Zhang recalls that in April 1976, Mao discussed the Tiananmen Square mourning for Zhou Enlai and the political fallout after his own death. Mao believed the protests were aimed at him: “They mourn Zhou to curse me for not dying sooner. This is the backlash from the Cultural Revolution. The struggle has just begun.”
Two months before his death, Mao allegedly orchestrated the death of Zhu De, a key CCP figure.
On July 6, 1976, Zhu De reportedly died in a bizarre “electrocution” incident at home. While being rushed to the hospital, his vehicle collided with a 12-ton truck, killing Zhu and his guards.
Mao and the Gang of Four (a Maoist political faction composed of four CCP officials) banned anyone from viewing Zhu’s body at the funeral—except Kim Il-sung and General Pi Dingjun. Pi uncovered Zhu’s charred hands and blackened face, suspecting foul play. The next day, Pi boarded a plane back to Fuzhou with his staff and Mao’s 8341 security unit. Mid-flight, CCP security allegedly opened fire, causing the plane to crash in Fujian. No one survived.
