Five Man Group

The Five Man Group (Chinese: 文化革命五人小组; also known as the Group of Five) was an informal committee established in the People's Republic of China in early 1965 to explore the potential for a "cultural revolution" in China.^[1] The group was led by Peng Zhen (the mayor of Beijing), the fifth most senior member of the Politburo.^[2]

The Group was said to be tasked with studying popular trends in China's arts and cultural realms. In 1965 the Group commissioned a study of the play Hai Rui Dismissed from Office, written by Vice-Mayor Wu Han, which came under suspicion for being an anti-Mao allegory. The Group then released the February Outline, a document arguing that the play was not of a political nature. Mao became offended by the Outline and dissolved the group in May 1966, when it was replaced by the Cultural Revolution Group.^[3] Mao argued that Yao Wenyuan hadn't focused on the word 'dismissed' in the title of the play, which, according to Mao, was the crucial word since the play had been written not long after Marshal Peng Dehuai had been dismissed. Peng Zhen still argued that the play was not political since Wu Han had no organisational ties with Peng Dehuai.^[4] Peng Zhen was subsequently purged.