How did the denunciation of Hai Rui Dismissed from Office help begin the Cultural Revolution?

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Cultural Revolution Mao Zedong reviewing troops at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, August 1966.

The denunciation of the play Hai Rui Dismissed from Office served as the opening volley of the Cultural Revolution in November 1965.1

The play was written by the historian and deputy mayor of Beijing, Wu Han. Critics alleged that Wu used the historical drama as an allegorical device to criticize Mao Zedong and praise the disgraced former minister of defense, Peng Dehuai.1

This attack on a cultural figure signaled the beginning of a broader assault on intellectuals, scholars, and propagandists. It laid the groundwork for a massive political purge, as Mao and his supporters hinted that these cultural figures were part of a sinister "black gang" operating within the party, education, and propaganda sectors. Ultimately, this campaign aimed to eliminate leading cadres deemed responsible for ideological errors and to revitalize revolutionary values among the younger generation.1