Born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan Chong, Hunan Province, Mao Zedong emerged as the preeminent leader of China’s communist revolution and the founding father of the People's Republic. He pioneered the rural-based guerrilla warfare strategy, consolidated absolute power during the epic Long March, and spearheaded resistance against Japan during WWII. After the war, his forces decisively defeated the Nationalists. Mao ruled China for decades, profoundly transforming its political, social, and economic structures through policies like the Cultural Revolution, leaving an unparalleled and deeply complex legacy.
Timeline
Category
Element
Year
Mao Zedong
1893
Birth of Mao Zedong (Period: December 26, 1893, Location: Shaoshan Chong, Shaoshan City, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, China (formerly Xiangtan County))
1907
Marriage (Mao Zedong, Luo Yixiu, Age: 13 years old, Period: c. 1907 (Mao Zedong aged ~14, Luo Yixiu aged ~18), Location: Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China)
1913
Studies at Hunan First Normal University and Formation of the New People's Study Society (Age: 19 years old, Period: 1913–1918, Location: Changsha, Hunan Province, China)
1914
World War I (Age: 20 years old, Period: 1914–1918, Location: Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions (Gallipoli, Caucasus, Mesopotamia, Sinai, Palestine, Arabia, etc.))
1918
Interactions with Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu at Peking University (Age: 24 years old, Period: 1918–1919, Location: Beijing, China)
1920
Marriage (Mao Zedong, Yang Kaihui, Age: 26 years old, Period: 1920, Location: Changsha, Hunan Province, China)
1927
First Chinese Civil War (Age: 33 years old, Period: 1927–1936 (general categorization), Location: Various regions in China, especially Jiangxi, Hunan, and Fujian Provinces)
Establishment of the Jinggang Mountains Revolutionary Base Area (Age: 33 years old, Period: 1927–1930, Location: Border region between Jiangxi and Hunan Provinces, China)
Autumn Harvest Uprising (Age: 33 years old, Period: September 1927, Location: Border region between Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, China)
1928
Marriage (Mao Zedong, He Zizhen, Age: 34 years old, Period: May 1928, Location: Jinggangshan Area, Jiangxi Province, China)
1934
Long March (Age: 40 years old, Period: 1934–1936, Location: Southern to Northwestern China, including Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Shaanxi Provinces)
1935
Zunyi Conference (Age: 41 years old, Period: January 1935, Location: Zunyi, Guizhou Province, China)
1937
Second Sino-Japanese War (Age: 43 years old, Period: 1937–1945, Location: Various regions in China, especially North China, Central China, and South China)
1938
Marriage (Mao Zedong, Jiang Qing, Age: 44 years old, Period: c. 1938–1939 (sources vary), Location: Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, China)
1946
Second Chinese Civil War (Age: 52 years old, Period: 1946–1949, Location: Various regions in China, especially Northeast, North China, and East China)
1949
Land Reform and Socialist Transformation (Age: 55 years old, Period: 1949–1956, Location: All of China)
Proclamation of the Founding of the People's Republic of China (Age: 55 years old, Period: October 1, 1949, Location: Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China)
1950
Korean War (Age: 56 years old, Period: 1950–1953, Location: Korean Peninsula)
1958
Great Leap Forward (Age: 64 years old, Period: c. 1958–1962, Location: All of China)
1966
Cultural Revolution (Age: 72 years old, Period: 1966–1976, Location: All of China)
Launch of the Cultural Revolution (Age: 72 years old, Period: 1966–1976, Location: All of China)
1976
Death of Mao Zedong (Age: 82 years old, Period: September 9, 1976)
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