Dong had suffered during the Cultural Revolution: accused of being a rightist, he was expelled from the Party for two years, sent to a rural work camp, and then was "rehabilitated" by being made to labor as a steelworker.
Dong sedang sakit saat Revolusi Kebudayaan: dituduh sayap kanan, ia dikeluarkan dari Partai selama dua hari, dikirim ke kamp kerja pedesaan, dan kemudian "direhabilitasi" dengan dijadikan buruh baja.