Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary who helped create the People's Republic of China. He is often called "Chairman Mao."

Mao was born in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, in 1893 and was a descendant of a peasant family who were educated in Chinese classics and Western ideas. He became a Communist in the 1920s and began organizing student organizations that brought together students with merchants, peasants and workers.

In 1921, he joined the Chinese Communist Party and led a series of revolutionary movements. He was a founder of the party's Central Committee and was designated as its Chairman, a post he held until his death in 1976.

He is credited with the creation of the People's Republic of China and ending the civil war that had been going on in China since the 1930s. He also helped improve the status of women and education.

His critics say he made many mistakes and did bad things. But he is still a popular leader in China today because he unified the country and ended the civil war. He also improved the economy and gave people more freedom.

The Great Leap Forward
Mao's idea of "the great leap forward" was based on the assumption that the Chinese could achieve a century's worth of economic growth in a few decades. It involved large agricultural communes and the establishment of new industries that would increase production.

When the program started, Mao thought it could be a success and that a large number of people would benefit from it. He also believed that Chinese citizens would be willing to work for less.

He hoped the communes would become self-sustaining, generating enough income for families to survive. He also hoped that China would move forward as a democratic society.

After the Cultural Revolution, he blamed the chaos on "mistaken leadership." In his later years, Mao was concerned about the rising wealth gap in China and the increasing inequity between the rich and poor. He argued that the party's policies had allowed these conditions to develop.

In recent months, a new generation of young Maoists has emerged. Some of them have criticized the government's failure to address growing social inequality and expressed their anger by using online forums and social media sites like Douban.

Some are demanding better protection for labor rights, like the right to organize unions or have their wages matched. Others want to end the government's monopoly of electricity and gas.

Another group wants to erect statues of famous revolutionary leaders. One of them, a high school graduate in southern Zhejiang Province, said he wanted to be a fashion designer and read Mao's books because he wants to change China for the better.

He also thinks that the party should help workers organize their own labor unions and make sure they get paid a fair wage for their hard work.

The Chinese government is wary of the emergence of this new wave of Maoist sentiment, which is prompting them to tighten controls on some online forums and blogs. They've already censored some posts and are beginning to monitor their own social networks.