Young Mao Zedong

Author: Zhang Tianmin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: Like most farmers, Mao Yichang's eyes were fixed on the land earned through frugality and hard work. He never dreamed that a world-changing giant would emerge in Shaoshan Creek, right beside him, and that this giant would be his own rather unsatisfactory eldest son, Mao Zedong. No matter how much Mao Yichang might regret it later, when he walked in the autumn sunlight of early 1910, he was justifiably proud. The Young Mao Zedong uses a realistic approach to vividly and intricately recreate the life of his grandfather—his studies, military service, marriage, social surveys, pursuit of knowledge, exploration of revolutionary paths, and eventual commitment to revolution. It also tells, in detailed and elegant prose, the touching stories of his grandfather's familial, romantic, and comradely bonds. The harsh realities of the struggle, the personal details of his life, and the distinct personality traits of the revolutionary are tightly interwoven, creating a work of rare authenticity, interest, and readability. The reader sees not a god, but a person—a person with flesh and blood, with emotions and integrity, a revolutionary leader who rose from an ordinary rural youth through trials and tribulations.