Beijing Spring
Wang Juntao was born in Beijing on July 11, 1958, the son of a high-ranking officer in the People's Liberation Army. He had received a standard education in communist ideology as a child, but had doubts about Communist rule later in life. On April 5, 1976, at the age of 17, Wang was imprisoned for his active participation as a leader during the April 15th movement taking place in the final year of the Cultural Revolution. Wang was jailed for political activity most notably, for writing political poems that infuriated the leadership of the Gang of Four and taking part in demonstrations commemorating the death of Zhou Enlai. After Mao's death, Wang was released from prison and devoted his life to working for the democratization of China. In 1978, Wang became an activist of the Democracy Wall and during this period, he founded the “Beijing Zhi Chun” ("Beijing Spring") magazine, which was derived from and influenced by the Prague Spring of 1968.