The Making of Modern China

1981: Confronting Past Excesses
Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong's widow, was sentenced to death on Jan. 25 for her role in the Cultural Revolution. Jiang and three other top leaders who formed the Gang of Four were arrested a month after Mao's death in 1976, marking what most consider the true end of the Cultural Revolution era, despite Mao having declared it to be officially over years before. Jiang's sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

• China: The Road to Prosperity