On August 19, 1983, China launched a nationwide "strike hard" campaign. A large number of people were arrested, sentenced, and executed, and some were later sent to labor camps in Xinjiang, Tibet, and other regions.
Xu Jiatun visited the Kowloon Walled City, which was then regarded as a lawless place, and met with members of the local Neighborhood Welfare Promotion Association; this move attracted the attention and displeasure of the Hong Kong British government.
The Ministry of State Security of the People's Republic of China is officially established, primarily undertaking foreign intelligence and counter-espionage work, forming a parallel system with public security organs that handle domestic security.
Xu Jiatun officially arrives in Hong Kong to assume a new post, serving as director of Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong branch, effectively acting as secretary of the CCP Hong Kong and Macau Work Committee, and begins to expand the united front by reaching out to various forces.
Chinese tennis player Hu Na was granted political asylum in the United States, prompting China to subsequently suspend Sino-U.S. cultural and sports exchanges and triggering a serious diplomatic storm.
To cultivate successors, the CCP Organization Department established the Youth Cadre Bureau, which screened a 1,068-member “third tier” list according to the “four requirements” standard, becoming an important basis for cadre promotion.
Gao Xingjian's plays, such as "Absolute Signal" and "The Station," were criticized during the Campaign to Clear Spiritual Pollution and were accused of being vestiges of bourgeois style.
China launches a crackdown campaign.
From 1983 to 1986, Han Xiu and his wife worked in Beijing, where Han Xiu taught Chinese to diplomats and related personnel at the US Embassy.
US diplomats once attempted to invite Gao Xingjian abroad through various means, such as French drama festivals, German book fairs, and US art exhibitions, but were repeatedly denied approval because he did not belong to the relevant associations.