The Private Life of Chairman Mao

by Li Zhisui

Book Overview

"The most revealing book ever published on Mao, perhaps on any dictator in history."--Professor Andrew J. Nathan, Columbia University From 1954 until Mao Zedong's death twenty-two years later, Dr. Li... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679400354
• ISBN13: 9780679400356
• Release Date: October 1994
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 682 Pages
• Weight: 2.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Incredible.

As far as historical testimony goes, the confessions and remembrances of Mao's physician, Dr. Li, add immeasurably to our estimation of who precisely "The Great Helmsman" was. The saying, "no man is a hero to his valet," does not begin to describe the disdain with which an old school gentleman like Dr. Li felt in regards to the harem mastering Mao; a man who made use of whatever and whoever was put before him. The doctor's realistic view of Mao was in striking contrast to the one held by the masses. Unfortunately, the narrative starts after the revolution is finished so Li is not able to inform us as to the way in which power actually corrupted the Chairman. How much the negative attributes of his personality were on display before he became the supreme leader is not evident. The difficulty of Mao's personality and his sadism cannot be questioned, however. Life, and daily interaction with people, was simply a way in which Mao could fulfill his need to play with the fate of others. Dr. Li's portrait of Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, resonates strongly...and horrifically. She truly was a white boned demon. I cannot imagine how one could deal with so vile a person on a regular basis. The suffering which she put China through causes one to shudder. It's a wonder why Mao tolerated her behavior and actions. As for Dr. Li, he truly led a terrible existence which was consumed by fright, anxiety, and having to deal with minds so irrational it is astonishing he was able to survive as long as he did. He was nothing but an indentured servant to Mao. The narrator could not do what he wanted, think what he wanted, or even spend much time with his family. His decision to return to China from Australia was personally disastrous, but this tome is a wonderful gift to man on the whole. We remain forever indebted to Dr. Li for his sacrifice and taking the time to record the nightmare which he experienced.

A competentent physician and a true gentleman

Dr. Li Zhisui was an American educated doctor who became Chairman Mao's personal physician for over twenty years. The book he has written does not purport to be Mao's biography, but a simple and honest account of the years Dr. Li spent at the "court" of the "last Chinese Emperor." I totally agree with a previous reviewer who after finishing the book felt he had left a friend. Dr. Li comes across as a gentleman, a competent preofessional, an unrepented intellectual who learned to integrate his knowledge of medicine with the Byzantine politics of Mao's court. The poor doctor had to put up with a lot of distress and suffering. He was not able to spend time with his family; he was not allowed to quit his job in Group One (the President's entourage); he had to fend off Jiang Qing relentless attacks; he had to care for Mao, who did not believe in medicine and was most uncooperative when it came to being treated. In the early years he admired Mao, but following the purge of Marshal Peng Dehuai and the Chairman's numerous sexual indisgressions, he "felt onlt revulsion for the man I had once revered." (p.331) The book offers interesting information about the many purges launched by Mao against the rightists, the intellectuals, the capitalist roaders; the relationship betwen Mao and his cronies (Chou Enlai, Lin Biao and the most evil and messed up woman in human history: his wife Jiang Qing). After reading about all the "palace wars" that took place in Communist China (complete with imprisonment, demotion, hard labor and even death) many readers will feel overwhelmed and disgusted with the evil ideology of Communism and with the morally bankrupt Mr. and Mrs. Mao tze Tung. By the way, I have read an online English version of the essay "On Practice" which Mao regarded as one of his masterpieces (Dr. Li believes that he fell in Mao's good graces after telling him he had read it and enjoyed it) and I am not ashamed to say that I found it absolutely common sensical, simplistic and un-imaginative.

Let's Stuff the Great Helmsman

When Dr. Li's account of Chairman Mao and his private life came out, about a decade ago, it was an eye-opening shock to most in the west,especially a certain segment of the intelligencia that actually believed that the Great Helmsman's reforms out weighed his atrocities. This biography of Mao, by his personal physician, gives a an accurate insider's account of what a filthy person Mao was,in every sense: a rotten-toothed, unbathed, mass-murdering, VD infectee who deflowered maidens and indulged his fantasies at every turn. A cruel and capricious man surrounded by sycophants and neurotics. The picture painted in this very readable history is disgusting--but accurate. I lived for many years in Communist China and found this book a refreshing bit of honesty and a splendid reproach to the still-adhered to party line that Mao was "70% right." A splendid counterpoint to the hagiographies and, surprisingly, better-written and with less grudge than Jung Chang's newer opus. A must-read for any China hand, sinophile, or historian!

Highly recomended

This book opens with one of the most hilarious opening chapters of a book that I have read. Mao has just died and in what had become a tradition for Communist regimes his body had to be preserved to be kept on display. The problem was that on one knew how to preserve bodies. Calls were made to Lenin's Tomb and to the display in which Ho chi Min was kept all to no avail. It appeared that Lenin's mummification had not worked well as his nose had fallen off. A substitute nose had to be put in place. The feedback was to ring America as they were good at that sort of thing. A call to America suggested filling the blood stream with formaldehyde. There was a debate about how much to put in and it was decided to put in double the advised amount to make sure there were no mistakes. Mao after all was important and heads would roll (literally) if his body started to decompose. Huge amounts of formaldehyde were pumped into the body. Unfortunately it started to look like the Michelen Man. The assembled doctors realised that they had to do something so that they decided to massage the body to pump out the excess. The only problem was that during the massage process part of Mao's face broke of. This had to be hurriedly repaired using wax. A General came in to look at the body and looking at the face wanted to start a murder investigation. The other chapters can't keep pace with this frantic opening but it is a batman's biography of one of China's most important leaders. The author was his doctor for most of his later years and gives an account not just of the politics of Mao but of every aspect of his life. The author's role was to keep Mao alive and to fend of disease. This was not easy. Mao for instance refused to clean his teeth. As a result his teeth were covered in a sort of green coating. Although Mao liked to swim and (his residences) he never liked to wash. Mao was sexually predatory and large numbers of young women went through his bed. He picked up a number of sexual diseases and refused to be treated for them and thus spread them to his companions. The book however is more interesting than a list of scandals. It describes he mechanics of power and the court that Mao ran. The author was there constantly. He was used by Mao as a source of gossip and as such perhaps learned more of his subject than most physicians. The book describes the way that Mao's favourites would circle around him drifting in and out of favour and how they would be used by Mao so that he could remain at the centre of power. The book is not only important as a close source about one of histories (perhaps regrettably) towering figures but is fascinating to read. It has the grim fascination that a work of fiction can never have as you know that the events unfolded just a short time ago.

The Last Emperor!

A facinating memoir of Mao's personal physician- Dr. Li Zhisui. I just finished reading this book for the second time and liked it even more than I did the first time.This is a truly amazing story of power, corruption and how intrigues, infighting and byzantine court politics affected the lives of hundreds of millions of people during the 'Great Leap Forward' and 'The Cultural Revolution'.Anyone interested in understanding how one man gained so much influence and power and held such sway with his cult of personality should read this fine book. It was particularly tragic to read how the Chinese people became the pawns in Mao's personal political struggles. Scarier yet is how his wife, Jiang Qing (a obviously neurotic and paranoid woman), would gain so much power for herself.This is a must read for any student of twentieth century politics or modern Chinese history.