• Date: September 1976
• Mao's Condition: Akin to a smartphone with a dying battery. Can't function properly but still revered.
  • Spent lots of time in a drug-induced coma.
  • Paradoxically, his waning power made his presence even more powerful.

Real-world example: Imagine a legendary soccer coach, too sick to instruct, but their mere presence in the stadium affects the players' strategies.

• Consequences:
  • Many officials like deer in headlights, afraid of offending Mao and thus doing nothing.
  • Ambitious folks seeing it as a golden ticket, attempting to align chess pieces for a post-Mao power grab.

• The Gang of Four's Power Source: Mao. Without him, they're like a wifi-less laptop.
• Post-Mao: Who's next? 🤷 No guarantees in the political soap opera.

Real-world example: Think of them as a band's backup singers. They might shine while the main singer is around but struggle to hold the stage on their own.

• Ominous Foreshadowing: The Tangshan Earthquake.
  • When: 6 weeks before Mao's death.
  • Toll: An astonishing 250,000 souls.
  • Significance: In Chinese culture, earthquakes = big changes afoot. Especially considering Mao was basically seen as a living deity.