cover of episode Mao Zedong Part 1: Peasant’s Son, Communist Rebel

Mao Zedong Part 1: Peasant’s Son, Communist Rebel

2020/7/28
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Mao Zedong's legacy is deeply divided, with some viewing him as the father of modern China, while others see him as a sadistic thug who sacrificed millions for power.

Shownotes Transcript

In the centre of China’s capital city, Beijing, lies a corpse that no one dares remove. It’s been 44 years since Mao Zedong’s body was laid to rest in the grandiose Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. He may be gone but he is not forgotten. To some, he’s the father of modern China. To many others, he’s a sadistic thug - a man willing to sacrifice millions of lives in pursuit of power. Mao Zedong is born in Hunan Province in 1893. Growing up on his father’s farm, he consumes books and ideas. His rise to the top of the Communist Party will be littered with violent outbursts, setting the tone for the decades to come.

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