Chapter 32: Reassessing Gao Gang: Gao Gang’s Accidental Suicide, Mao Loses His Successor

Gao Gang (1905–1954), from Hengshan, Shaanxi, was a leader of the Red Army in northern Shaanxi, sworn brother to Mao Zedong over “chicken blood” rituals, and known as the “King of the Northeast.”

I. Gao Gang’s “Economic Cabinet” Sidelines Zhou Enlai’s State Council

In 1952, Mao Zedong summoned Gao Gang to Beijing and established the “National Planning Commission,” dubbed the “Economic Cabinet.” Gao was appointed Chairman. Members included Deng Xiaoping, Lin Biao, Chen Yun, Peng Dehuai, Peng Zhen, Xi Zhongxun, and 15 others, overseeing the entire national industry.

Zhou Enlai’s State Council was reduced to just the Foreign Ministry, Public Security Ministry, Ministry of Education, and Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, leaving Gao’s cabinet far above Zhou in influence. Gao, as head of the “Economic Cabinet,” was effectively Mao’s second-in-command, poised to become Liu Shaoqi’s successor.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Gao did not enter Zhongnanhai; he set up a separate command in a large courtyard at Minxiang in the eastern suburbs, moving his entire Northeast guard unit. Mao allowed this dual command structure—one at Zhongnanhai, one at Minxiang—effectively tolerating a split command.

II. Gao Gang Seeks to Join the Soviet Union

Leveraging his “King of the Northeast” status, Gao independently contacted Stalin. In the Northeast, Stalin’s portrait was displayed instead of Mao’s. Gao even proposed that China join the Soviet Union as its 17th republic. Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai deemed this treasonous. Mao, fearing Stalin, wanted to use both Stalin and Gao for his own purposes. He neither branded Gao a traitor nor opposed him, instead bringing him to Beijing and establishing the “Economic Cabinet,” granting Gao powers roughly equivalent to a Soviet Premier.

Gao’s rise angered Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yun, and their faction, who opposed his consolidation of power. Gao further suggested that during Mao’s absence in Hangzhou, he and Liu Shaoqi take turns managing Secretariat affairs—essentially asserting equality with Liu and positioning himself as Liu’s potential replacement.

III. Mao Distrusts Liu Shaoqi

Why did Gao act so boldly? In 1948, during a meeting at Xibaipo, Mao expressed distrust of Liu Shaoqi. He doubted Liu’s readiness for the “peaceful democratic” new stage, thinking Liu remained fixated on the New Democratic stage without ideological preparation for socialism. Gao’s thinking aligned with Mao, making him a more compatible and reliable ally. Gao’s pro-Soviet stance also suited Mao’s strategy of “one-sided reliance” on Stalin, while Gao’s sworn-brother bond with Mao in northern Shaanxi made him trustworthy.

IV. Mao Orders Gao Criticized Without Naming Him; Gao Commits Suicide

In February 1954, Mao instructed Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai to convene a Central Committee meeting to expose problems in financial and organizational work. Forty-four members spoke. Following Mao’s instructions, no one dared name Gao directly.

Zhou later convened a separate ten-day meeting with over 40 insiders. Gao could not withstand the pressure. On February 17, he attempted suicide by gunshot but survived. Zhou proposed soft detention to prevent further attempts, which Mao approved. Gao then lost his freedom. Feeling abandoned, Gao believed Mao truly had forsaken him. On August 1, he committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills at age 39.

Afterward, Mao scolded Xi Zhongxun for not visiting Gao to relay a private message. Xi responded that visiting required registration; without Mao’s orders, he dared not go, fearing being accused of belonging to the “Gao Gang Anti-Party Group.”

V. What Crime Had Gao Committed?

Mao had sought to protect Gao: the critique meetings avoided naming him, preserving his party membership. Gao could have been reassigned to a local position in Shaanxi and later return to central work.

The main alleged crime was treason—wanting China to join the Soviet Union as the 17th republic. But in reality, during the 1930s, the CCP publicly called for “defending the Soviet Union.” Mao himself said, “The Communist Party’s motherland is the Soviet Union.” In the 1950s, during major Tiananmen celebrations, giant portraits of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin were displayed. Gao displaying Stalin’s portrait in the Northeast was hardly a crime.

VI. Mao Loses His Backup Successor

In retrospect, Gao had committed no real crime; at most, personal indiscretions. From 1952, when he arrived in Beijing, until his 1954 suicide, Gao’s rise and fall were largely orchestrated by Mao. Allegations of “anti-party” behavior were effectively “anti-Mao.” Gao’s suicide at 39 marked the loss of Mao’s first backup successor.

Gao’s death was Mao’s first major failure in succession planning. The second would come in 1971 with Lin Biao’s fall. Both men died as a result of Mao’s own machinations.

Author Gu Hua (age 81), specializing in Mao-era palace politics, provides a detailed and vivid account of Gao Gang’s story in Xiyuan Fengyue (West Garden Affairs).