Introduction The Cultural Revolution, a political campaign launched by Mao Zedong’s Communist Party in China from 1966 to 1976, caused significant damage to the country’s cultural heritage. The campaign aimed to remove “bourgeois” and traditional elements from Chinese society, and the Red Guards, who were young supporters of the Communist Party, led the campaign’s violent attacks on historical and cultural sites. The Loss of the Old Summer Palace One of the most significant losses was the Old Summer Palace, also known as the Yuanmingyuan.