Wu Han

Wu Han(Chinese:吴晗), also known as Wu Chunhan, was born in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, in 1909. He joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1957. He entered Tsinghua University in 1931 and became a leading scholar ofMing Dynasty (1368-1644) history. When the War of Resistance against Japan broke out in 1937, Wu joined theNational Southwestern Associated University in Kunming. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Wu served as dean of the history department of Tsinghua University, member of the Culture & Education Committee under the central government, vice mayor of Beijing, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, president of Beijing History Research Association, vice chairman of China Democratic League, and member of the Second and Third National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

In 1961, Wu published Hai Rui Ba Guan (Hai Rui Dismissed from Office), a historical play about a Ming official who was persecuted for criticizing the emperor. The theatrical play became an instrument for members of the Gang of Four to attack the "rightist" pragmaticians in 1965. Wu Han became one of the first victims of the Cultural Revolution and died in prison on October 11, 1969, but was posthumously rehabilitated politically in 1976.