Qiao Shi
In 1963, Qiao Shi was transferred to the International Liaison Department (ILD) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. He was recognized as an expert in international studies, and travelled widely to other communist countries. However, he was severely persecuted when the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, because his wife Yu Wen was a niece of Chen Bulei, a key advisor to the Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek. He underwent numerous struggle sessions, which caused him to be hospitalized for duodenal ulcer and blood loss. In 1969, Qiao Shi and his wife were sent to work in rural labour camps, first in Heilongjiang, and later in Henan province. He was able to return to the ILD in 1971, when Geng Biao became Director of the department.