Let’s just hope that they don’t forget it, lest they repeat it.

The 50th anniversary of the start of the Cultural Revolution, which plunged China into a decade of chaos, has been met with silence in state media.

On 16 May 1966 Communist leader Mao Zedong began a campaign to eliminate his rivals. At the same time he called on Chinese youth to “purge” society.

Years of bloodshed and turmoil ensued, ending with Mao’s death in 1976.

How to handle the era’s contentious legacy has remained a challenge to China’s Communist rulers to this day.

On Monday, the main state media outlets made virtually no mention of the anniversary, focusing on coverage of the South China Sea and other domestic issues. No official events were planned by the authorities to mark the 50-year milestone.