Who were the 'red guards'?

BEIJING - The "cultural revolution" officially lasted from 1966 to 1976 but the "red guards" were only active for the first 30 months.

According to People's Daily, the "red guards" first appeared in Beijing in June 1966. On Aug 1, then-leader of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong, wrote to the "red guards" at the Middle School Affiliated with Tsinghua University.

In the letter he showed "passionate support" for the group, and after that the movement spread across the nation.