Uncovering the Century-old Truth: Revealing the Seven Assassination Attempts on Deng Xiaoping

In the early morning, a burst of gunfire tore through the tranquility, bullets pierced through the windows, shards of glass scattered on the ground! “An airplane disintegrated in the sky, and fragments rained down like a storm!”

This is not a movie, but the real assassination experience of Deng Xiaoping!

Deng Xiaoping was the core leader of the second generation of the Chinese Communist Party. During Mao Zedong’s era of power, he was at times highly valued and at other times abandoned. Not only that, he also survived multiple assassination attempts. Each narrow escape was like a tense spy thriller.

In 2013, former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao declassified a batch of secret files, revealing nearly 3,500 violent attacks targeting top Chinese Communist leaders from 1949 to the 1980s. Among them, Deng Xiaoping was targeted seven times.

What is the truth behind these events?

Today, let’s take a look at this part of history.

The story begins with the Cultural Revolution. In 1966, the storm of the Cultural Revolution swept through China, plunging the country into chaos. Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution, proclaiming the need to eliminate “capitalist” enemies and solidify his absolute power. However, the true target of this movement was the top CCP leaders who could pose a threat to him, including Deng Xiaoping.

Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, then a member of the Central Political Bureau Standing Committee, were identified as leaders of the “capitalist headquarters” and were criticized by the Red Guards.

In November, Deng Xiaoping was criticized as the “Number Two Capitalist Roader” and placed under house arrest.

By the summer of 1967, his home was raided by the Red Guards, and he was publicly denounced. However, Mao Zedong instructed that only Liu Shaoqi should be targeted in the campaign, not Deng Xiaoping, which allowed him to retain his party membership.

But this was just a temporary calm before the storm, as greater dangers loomed ahead.

In October 1969, the Cultural Revolution reached its peak. Deng Xiaoping was sent to a tractor repair factory in Nanchang, Jiangxi, for labor reform.

There was an abandoned infantry school near the factory where he and his wife, Zhuo Lin, were housed in the former principal’s residence. It was a two-story building. The life of Deng Xiaoping and his wife was simple, with only a secretary and a few guards around them.

On the third day of their arrival, danger struck!

In the early morning, a group of armed individuals stormed into the school and began firing wildly at Deng Xiaoping’s residence! Bullets pierced through the windows, glass shards scattered on the ground, the sound of gunfire deafening.

Deng Xiaoping and his wife lived on the second floor, while the secretary and guards were on the first floor. Luckily, the attackers did not know Deng Xiaoping’s exact location and only fiercely fired at the first floor.

The guards quickly retaliated with their guns, killing several attackers on the spot, while the rest fled in panic.

Declassified files referred to these individuals as “militias,” but their true identities and motives remain mysterious.

Initially, suspicion within the CCP pointed to Lin Biao, claiming he instigated the attack by the Jiangxi military region. However, by the 1980s, investigations had ruled out Lin Biao. The mastermind behind the scenes remains an unsolved mystery to this day.

The “9.13” incident involving Lin Biao in 1971 shook the nation. Lin Biao died in a plane crash while attempting to escape to the Soviet Union, prompting Mao Zedong to reassess the internal party dynamics. Deng Xiaoping seized the opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty to Mao Zedong by writing a letter, expressing his desire to return to Beijing.

In 1972, Mao Zedong instructed that Deng Xiaoping, who had supported him in the past and had military achievements, had not succumbed to Soviet revisionism, could be considered for a comeback. This gave Deng Xiaoping hope.

In February 1973, the central authorities decided to recall him to Beijing, sending a Soviet-made Il-14 aircraft to pick up Deng Xiaoping and his wife from Jiangxi.

However, just before departure, the plan abruptly changed! The Jiangxi military region received an urgent notification to have Deng Xiaoping travel back to Beijing by train, accompanied by the chief of staff of the military region and guards, with a sleeper car attached.

As a result, the original Il-14 aircraft meant to pick him up disintegrated in mid-air over Anhui, turning into fragments!

This was evidently a carefully planned political assassination aimed at completely thwarting Deng Xiaoping’s potential return. Who leaked the itinerary? Who saved his life? The files did not disclose.

This narrow escape clearly indicated that there were individuals within the CCP who did not want Deng Xiaoping to return to the center of power.

By the end of 1973, Deng Xiaoping re-entered the core of power. Mao Zedong nominated him as a member of the Central Political Bureau and a member of the Central Military Commission.

In 1974, as Premier Zhou Enlai’s health deteriorated due to cancer, Deng Xiaoping effectively took over the day-to-day work of the State Council, becoming the acting Premier.

In early 1975, Mao Zedong even proposed appointing Deng Xiaoping as the Vice Chairman of the Party, First Vice Premier, and Vice Chairman of the Military Commission simultaneously.

By then, Deng Xiaoping had become a key assistant to Mao Zedong in balancing against Zhou Enlai and other factions. At a meeting, he publicly criticized Zhou Enlai, saying, “You are only one step away from the Chairman. Others can admire from a distance, but you are within reach. I hope you are very vigilant.”

This statement served as both a warning and exposed the tense atmosphere among the top CCP officials. But as power increased, so did the dangers.

In September 1975, Deng Xiaoping presided over the “Learn from Dazhai” conference in Shanxi. In the evening, he was walking on a hill near the guesthouse, accompanied by a secretary and guards.

Suddenly, bang! A gunshot shattered the silence, a bullet grazing past him! The guards quickly shielded Deng Xiaoping, and the shooter disappeared into the night, leaving no traces. This assassination attempt also remained unsolved.

Who fired the shot? Was it a party rival or retaliation from local forces? No one knew.

By the end of 1975, changes manifested once again.

Mao Zedong always believed he had achieved two major accomplishments in his life, with one being the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, he did not want anyone to question the Cultural Revolution or exonerate those who were purged during that time.

At that point, he had appointed his nephew Mao Yuanxin as a liaison officer, who shared the same faction as Jiang Qing. Mao Yuanxin repeatedly reported to Mao Zedong that Deng Xiaoping “rarely spoke about the achievements of the Cultural Revolution.”

Subsequently, Mao Zedong embarked on the “criticize Deng, counterattack the resurgence of the Right” campaign, once again sidelining Deng Xiaoping.

In January 1976, Zhou Enlai passed away. In February, Mao appointed Hua Guofeng as the Acting Premier of the State Council. Shortly after, Deng Xiaoping was stripped of all party and state duties and confined to the Yuzhongshan Guesthouse in Beijing.

One night in April, an electrical short circuit occurred on the floor where Deng Xiaoping was under soft detention, causing a large fire to engulf the entire level! The room was left in ruins, filled with thick smoke.

Ironically, that night Deng Xiaoping was scheduled for studying and then a bath in the bathroom, narrowly escaping the disaster.

It was evident that this was not a simple accident but a deliberate act to set the fire, intending to kill Deng Xiaoping in the blaze. It was said that Ye Jianying secretly deployed guards to protect Deng Xiaoping’s safety.

Three months later, in July 1976, Deng Xiaoping was notified to go on a “summer vacation” to the Chengde Mountain Resort in Hebei. However, he refused to go, citing the need for a medical check-up.

Subsequently, the Japanese-manufactured minivan that was supposed to pick him up was reassigned for use by the Ministry of National Defense. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the front axle of the vehicle had broken!

If Deng Xiaoping had boarded that car, it could have overturned and caught fire on the highway at any moment, with unimaginable consequences.

Wang Dongxing later claimed that he had informed Deng Xiaoping in advance not to go out unless he expressly instructed.

Who was behind this assassination attempt? The files did not specify, but evidently, someone did not want Deng Xiaoping to leave the soft detention alive. The broken axle of the vehicle became another testament to Deng Xiaoping’s miraculous escape.

In September 1976, Mao Zedong passed away, ushering in a dramatic change in the political landscape. In October, Hua Guofeng and Ye Jianying launched the Huairou Hall Incident, arresting the Gang of Four, marking the end of the Cultural Revolution.

Hua Guofeng concurrently held the top three leadership positions in the Chinese Communist Party, serving as the Chairman of the Central Committee, Premier of the State Council, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, consolidating his power.

Deng Xiaoping seized the opportunity, writing two letters to Hua Guofeng, expressing his loyalty, and indicating full support for Hua Guofeng’s leadership.

In July 1977, Deng Xiaoping officially returned, becoming the third-ranking figure in the CCP after Hua Guofeng and Ye Jianying.

In May 1978, with Deng Xiaoping’s support, an article titled “Practice is the Sole Criterion of Truth” was reprinted in the Guangming Daily, sparking nationwide discussions.

This article undermined Hua Guofeng’s authority and paved the way for Deng Xiaoping to take power.

In December 1978, the Third Plenum of the Eleventh Central Committee of the CCP convened, with Deng Xiaoping replacing Hua Guofeng as the actual leader of the CCP, completing his “comeback.” However, wielding power did not keep him away from dangers.

In March 1980, during an inspection visit to the Jinan Military Region, Deng Xiaoping had just finished giving a report at a meeting, ready to return to his seat when a duty guard suddenly shouted, “Defend Chairman Mao’s revolutionary line, overthrow Deng Xiaoping!” and then fired several shots at him! The venue descended into chaos. The guards swiftly shielded Deng Xiaoping with their bodies, pushing him to safety, escaping unscathed from the bullets.

Eight years later, in February 1988, danger struck again. At that time, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Yang Shangkun, and others were celebrating the Lunar New Year at the Shanghai Xijiao Guesthouse. Four armed individuals claiming to be members of the “Mao Zedong Thought Combat Team” infiltrated the guesthouse, engaging in a gunfight with the armed police on duty. Three attackers were killed, one captured, and materials prepared for assassinating Deng Xiaoping were found on him, including residential maps, explosive materials, silenced handguns, and arson equipment.

From 1969 to 1988, Deng Xiaoping escaped seven assassination attempts. These attempts were not just aimed at him personally but reflected the inner struggles of survival within the CCP.

In 2013, Hu Jintao declassified documents, revealing that from 1949 to 1982, Mao Zedong endured 35 assassination attempts, Zhou Enlai 12, Liu Shaoqi 12, Zhu De 9, Lin Biao 8, Hua Guofeng 3…

These astonishing numbers provide a glimpse into the intensity of internal power struggles within the CCP. Hu Jintao’s decision to declassify these documents may also be related to his own experiences—between 2006 and 2009, he faced at least three assassination attempts in the Yellow Sea and Shanghai, with alleged involvement from Jiang Zemin and Zeng Qinghong.