The materials in this collection were nearly all originally published or reprinted by mass organizations in Tianjin during the Cultural Revolution. Between 1966 and 1968, a vast array of mass organizations were active in Tianjin's Cultural Revolution. Their emergence, evolution, reorganization, alliances, and conflicts are crucial to understanding this historical period. Within individual danwei, opposing mass organizations often coexisted, driven by their differing attitudes toward local or higher authorities. Within each work unit (danwei), opposing mass organizations often coexisted, driven by their differing attitudes toward the authorities of the danwei or higher levels. For instance, at the Tianjin Public Security Bureau, the Tianjin Political and Legal Commune (QZ-002) and the opposing Headquarters of the Proletarian Revolutionary Rebels (QZ-134) represented rival factions. Mass organizations from different danwei also formed broader alliances, culminating in 1967 with two major citywide coalitions: the Five Congresses, aligned with Tianjin authorities, and the Preparatory Committee of the Tianjin Proletarian Revolutionaries' Great Union, which stood in opposition (QZ-247, QZ-266).
In terms of form, the materials in this collection primarily consist of exposés (QZ-036, QZ-037), Red Guard tabloids (QZ-023, QZ-024), and open letters (QZ-014, QZ-103a). Even when published by different mass organizations, materials in the same category often adhered to a similar format. For example, exposés targeting individuals typically included a standard set of elements: before Liberation, the individual was disloyal to the Party; after Liberation and before the Cultural Revolution, they repeatedly made political mistakes in their work; in personnel matters, they practiced cronyism; in their personal life, they were corrupt; and at the onset of the Cultural Revolution, they actively suppressed revolutionary activities. This format was consistently applied, whether targeting leaders at the municipal level (QZ-052) or at the grassroots (QZ-015).
In terms of content, a substantial portion of the materials in this collection focuses on individuals. Regardless of their rank, those targeted for criticism were often linked to the Wan-Zhang Clique, referring to Wan Xiaotang, the First Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee, and Zhang Huaisan, a Secretary of the Secretariat. Even a Party secretary of a street committee could be accused of "carrying out the reactionary line of the Wan-Zhang Anti-Party Clique" (QZ-041), while the First Secretary of the North China Bureau might be branded as the "backer of the Wan-Zhang Clique" (QZ-245). This underscores the centrality of the Wan-Zhang Clique in understanding Tianjin's Cultural Revolution.
Materials targeting other mass organizations constitute another major portion of this collection, providing crucial insights into the cooperation and confrontation between these groups. Violent clashes were the most extreme form of their conflicts, and this collection includes a wealth of materials on armed struggle. For example, on July 6 and 7, 1967, large-scale violent clashes occurred at the No. 3527 Factory. The collection features different accounts from various sides of the same incident (QZ-098, QZ-106, QZ-118, QZ-269, QZ-270). These materials are invaluable for understanding mass violence during the Cultural Revolution.