Chen Boda (or Ch'en Po-ta) (1905–1989)

Chinese political propagandist. He became chief editor of the party organ, Hongqi (Red Flag), in 1958, and during the Cultural Revolution 1966–69 he became associated with the radicals and was appointed to the Politburo in 1969. In the campaign against leftist excesses the following year, however, he was arrested and expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In 1980–81 he was tried along with the Gang of Four and sentenced to 18 years in prison but was reportedly released later the same year.

Born in Huian, Fujian (Fu-chien) province, he joined the CCP in 1927 and studied in Moscow until 1930. After teaching in Beijing (Peking), he went to the communist base at Yan'an (Yen-an) in 1937 and became Mao Zedong's personal secretary and helped popularize Mao's concept of the ‘Sinification of Marxism’ (adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions).

He spent his final years studying history in Beijing.