In June 1966, the Cultural Revolution broke out. Qu Wu immediately became a target of criticism by the Red Guards. Qu Wu resolutely denied the charges and was thus identified as a "stubborn reactionary" and suffered a lot of torture. On August 30, 1968, Qu Wu was thrown into Qincheng Prison for "counter-revolutionary crimes ." While in custody, Qu Wu's wife Yu Zhixiu and mother-in-law Gao Zhonglin were "persecuted to death".
