Real Wives of Dictators | Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao's Wife

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Society, Sex, Scandal, Education, History

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For better or (mostly) worse, Jiang Qing left her mark on the 20th century.

Even before she was married to Chairman Mao, Jiang was a charismatic actor, and her passion for culture helped her spearhead the Cultural Revolution as part of the Communist Party in China, later in life.

Joining Kate for this fourth and final episode of our limited series, Real Wives of Dictators, is Linda Jaivin, author of Shortest History of China and the upcoming Bombard the Headquarters! The Cultural Revolution in China.

How did she make her way to the head of the Communist Party? Why did she describe herself as "Mao's dog"? And what brought about her downfall?

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

If you'd like to get in touch with the show you can contact us at [email protected].

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm your host, Kate Lister.
0:02.4	If you would like Betwixt the Sheets,
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0:13.6	with top history presenters
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0:19.8	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:26.5	I'm Helena Bonham Carter and for BBC Radio 4, I'm back with a brand new series of history's secret heroes.
0:35.0	And he tells her that she will be sent to France as a secret agent.
0:40.6	She will work undercover.
0:42.3	And if she's got, she's going to be shot.
0:45.3	Join me for more stories of unsung heroes, acts of resistance, deception and courage from World War II.
0:52.6	Subscribe to History's Secret Heroes, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:59.3	Hello, my lovely betwixters.
1:01.2	It's me, Kate Lister.
1:02.7	I am here, you are here, and we are all ready to proceed with the show.
1:06.2	But before we can do that, I have to tell you.
1:08.2	This is an adult podcast, Pokemon by adults,
1:09.8	to other adults about adulty things and an adulty way covering a range of adults and subjects
1:12.4	and you should be an adult too.
1:13.5	Do you feel safer?
	...

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