1st Red Guard Rally

Perhaps the single most significant photograph of the Cultural Revolution was taken on the morning of 18th August 1966 at the first mass rally of Red Guards in Tiananmen Square.

A young student named Song Binbin pinned a Red Guard armband to Mao's left sleeve and he wore it while waving to the adoring masses. The next day the photograph of "Red Guard Mao" appeared on the front page of newspapers throughout China. Having publicly received approval from the highest authority, Red Guard units were rapidly established in all parts of the country.