Criticism of the inventions and miracles of the cult had occasionally been voiced prior to the convention of the Ninth Party Congress in April 1969, as seen in the case of criticizing the quotation gymnastics or certain phrases. Yet the task of toning down the cult remained highly sensitive. The official image of the CCP Chairman was not to be tarnished, nor was criticism of the cult to reflect negatively on the previous course of the Cultural Revolution. According to the CCP constitution, national party congresses were to be held every five years. The convention of the CCP’s Ninth Congress in 1969 was thus eight years overdue. The congress took place in utmost secrecy. The delegates were flown in on special air force planes to the military part of Beijing airport in the city’s western suburbs and were secluded from the public in three of the capital’s hotels without permission to contact the outside world. There had been no prior announcement and the public was informed about the congress only after the opening ceremony on 1 April 1969. Although the portraits of the founding fathers of Marxism-Leninism were prominently on display in the hall’s lobby, a monumental picture of Mao Zedong dominated the venue and it was Mao’s physical presence that excited many of the newly chosen delegates. Mao’s short opening speech was interrupted by cheers after every sentence. Lin Biao presented the political report as wished for by Mao but he had not taken part in Zhang Chunqiao’s preparation of the final draft. Jiang Qing was therefore later to criticize Lin for the poor presentation of the report and the stuttering pronunciation, both of which were largely due to the text being completely unfamiliar to him. The congress passed a new party constitution that included Lin Biao’s status as Mao’s successor and chose a new Central Committee.