The Private Life of Chairman Mao

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary historical document
Review: Dr. Li's account of his years in the service of Chairman Mao is one of the most revealing biographies ever written of any major 20th century leader. It is a fascinating look at a man who held more absolute power over more people than anyone else in human history. Like all powerful leaders, Mao is a complex and enigmatic figure, a mass of contradictions that ultimately we can only try to understand by examining his words and deeds. This book amply provides us with those, while refraining from excessive speculation. It is also a lucid explanation of the byzantine alliances and rivalries of that period's Communist government. Finally, it provides us with Dr. Li's own poignant life story, as he witnessed the leader he once revered nearly destroy his beloved country. As he states at the end of this work, he paid for this book with his life, and indeed died soon after its publication. This book is highly recommended for those interested not just in modern Chinese history, but 20th century history as well.

As an aside, I was shocked to read some of the reviews castigating this book and defending Mao, which seem to parrot some of the criticisms of this book issued by Maoists in other parts of the world. Make no mistake: Mao was a great revolutionary leader (his "On Guerrilla Warfare" is a military classic) but a terrible ruler who ranks up there with Hitler, Stalin, and Hirohito. His disastrous policies resulted in at least 30 million deaths from the worst famine in recorded history, caused horrible suffering for hundreds of millions of others, plunged his country into chaos and set it back decades. To attempt to apologize for his atrocities is simply reprehensible. As one reads this book, one constantly wonders how so many could have been so intellectually and morally deficient as to consistently support his reign even as evidence of his venality and incompetence became increasingly obvious. Regrettably, it seems that such people are not all that difficult to find.

Rating:
Summary: Great Insight
Review: I spent some time in China recently and was interested to see the ambiguous way in which Mao seems to be regarded by the people there. Among the provincial people he seemed to still be held as a demigod, but the more educated people in the cities were more circumspect. Even the offical government line now credits Mao with being "70% correct," hardly a ringing endorsement of his rule. When I returned to the States I was anxious to get some further insight into this man.

The Private Life of Chairman Mao answered all of my questions. This doctor's-eye view of the Chinese dictator provided remarkable insight into the psyche of the man who nearly singlehandedly ruled China for thirty years.

The key to understanding Mao's reign is understanding that he was was basically a medieval emperor with a medieval court, all operating in the 20th Century. He was skilled enough in the art of politics to gain ultimate power in China but was woefully unprepared to govern a modern state. He was fundamentally ignorant of what makes an economy work yet was in a position to foist his crazy notions on a defenseless population of millions of people. One of the other reviewers here used the term "hare-brained" to describe policy campaigns like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and that I have to say that this term came to my mind again and again as I read Dr. Li's book. Like Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, and Josef Stalin, Mao stuck mindlessly to an extremist political theory with absolutely no regard for the devastation that China suffered as the result.

When I say that Mao was a medieval emperor, I mean that much of his time was spent engaging in the palace intrigue that was endemic to any leader whose position is based solely upon the loyalty of those around him. Mao, like all dictators who obtain power by means of force rather than process, depended upon maintaining the loyalty of his staff and on keeping potential rivals at odds with each other. This type of existence is very typical of leaders who cannot point to a legitimate basis (i.e., election or hereditary succession) for their position of power. Dr. Li reveals Mao's entourage to be a nest of vipers and backstabbers, all eager to court Mao's favor and bring suspicion to their enemies.

The Chinese government still has a legitimacy problem, but it believes that by providing material well-being (even if through distinctly non-Communist means) then its right to rule will not be seriously questioned. I suppose this is at least an improvement on Mao, who cared little about the well-being of his people except to the extent that national shortcomings reflected poorly on his legend.

Dr. Li's book is a terrific primer on the first 30 years of Communist rule in China and extremely readable. Buy it!!

Rating:
Summary: Up close and personal view of China and Mao
Review: Dr Li observes all the things that happened around him when he served as the personal physician of Chairman Mao. The leading characters of Chinese history appear very human in their character (and inhuman in their character). Dr Li keeps the focus on Communist China, Mao, the party and its machinations without trying to take a disproportionate part of the book for his family. This book does to China and Mao what William Shyrer's book did to Germany and Hitler or Louis Fischer's book did to India and Gandhi. The style is so narrative, I could not put the book down. And was sad when I finished it.

Rating:
Summary: The truth is here
Review: After reading "Life and Death in Shanghai" by Nien Cheng I had to learn more about Mao. Was he uneducated or completely insane? How could he starve his own people to death while claiming that he was boosting the economy? From this book, it seems like it was a combination of his complete ignorance, greed and a personality disorder. I'm ashamed that anyone would review this book with words like this: "It offends me when westerners judge China by their own standards; They do things differently there." Please read "Life and Death in Shanghai" in addition to this book. The author, Nien Cheng, was wrongly imprisioned for years, during which time she was tortured and starved. While she was in prison her only child, her daughter Meiping, was murdered. Nien Cheng was not a Westerner. She had opportunities to leave the country before Mao and his thugs seized control but she chose to stay in her homeland. However, false accusations, torture and murder to be acceptable did not meet her "standards." If you can't relate to the death of millions, maybe a personal story will make you understand the extent of Mao's crimes against humanity. Evil is evil and suffering is suffering no matter where you are born, and blind zealotry is dangerous whether it's for Communism or religion. Mao's doctor is bound by no confidentiality agreement -- he didn't even have free will when it came to dealing with this patient. He was a victim of the dictator as much as anyone else. I appreciated the insight into the criminal behavior of Mao.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Insights
Review: I enjoyed the insider's perspective that Dr. Li offers.

The book spans Dr. Li's long career with Chairman Mao and includes a very good sections on the origins of Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.

I enjoyed the insights into Mao's character--revealed by the way he lived his personal life and ran his empire.

Strengths: A unique perspective, many accounts which are unavailable elsewhere; Terrific accounts of the backroom dealings and intrigue; Generally easy to read; The author does a good job of reintroducing the many characters in the book through the years.

Weaknesses: It could have been pared down to a smaller size with little loss of impact.

**Recommended: The New Emperors: China in the Era of Mao and Deng by Harrison Salisbury

*Not recommended: The Boxer Rebellion by Diana Preston

Rating:
Summary: The Other Side of the Fence
Review: It seems there are some people that suspect the veracity of Dr. Li's account and or complain of its narrow scope, that there has been much left untold, other historical figures being merely touched upon. And there are some that ostensibly feel it is too personalized, not impartial enough. But, it was written by a doctor, not an historian, and though I wonder at the accuracy of the conversations (word for word), it was written from one person's point of view and will, therefore, be a bit 'narrow'. And some seem to feel that Dr. Li had an agenda, either to disparage Mao, make money or both. Could be.

Whatever the case, I found The Private Life of Chairman Mao easy to read and I found it mighty interesting to get a glimpse of what life was like on the other side of the fence, that is, a personal account of what Mao was like as a person. Mao's hedonism, his irascibility, his manipulations, his paranoia, his megalomaniac tendencies and his brilliance, even if that brilliance was misguided at times (much of the time?), were characteristics I have read about in other biographies, but never in any great detail.

And I learned a good deal about some of the other people Mao had around, some I already knew something about, such as Jiang Qing, and others I did not, like his security man, Wang Dongxing. And there was Mao's manipulation of others, making sure there was discontent in his camp so as to avoid a mutiny.

Even though the book is a 'biography', is seems to me to be more of a simple, personal account of Dr. Li's years with Mao, maybe even more of an autobiography of Dr. Li himself. Whatever the case, it was worthwhile reading.

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Summary: Mao: first Marxist Sex-Emperor of China. Get the Truth
Review: Dr. Li's book is the best possible first-hand account there is on the late evil dictator Mao Zedong (1893-1976). The Chinese look upon the years of 1949-1976 as the "death, famine and disaster years". Millions starved, millions tortured, Red Guards rampaging and killing innocents, and elevation of a illiterate Mao into a demi-god. The 20th century can now be seen as the century of three evil dictators: Mao, Hitler and Stalin. Buy the book, read it and judge the facts for yourself.

Whereas the USSR of Stalin and the Nazi Germany of Hitler is ceases to exist, the evil dictatorship of the communist of China that Mao put into power rules China. Germany and Russia now have elected presidents. China enters the 21st century with a despotic, evil, secretive and paranoid government put in place after a bloody civil war in 1949 by Mao.

Dr. Li was Mao's personal doctor from 1954-1976. Mao, died at age 83 and last two decades of his life, had constant health problems. Hence, Dr. Li was in constant companion and had numerous opportunities to talk to and view the daily life the Mao. In fact, there is absolutely no better person to write a detailed biography of Mao's life than his personal doctor. Written while in Chicago for his wife medical treatment, this book has been malign by the communist dictators of China.

Leaders like Lincoln, FDR, Churchill are elected and must rule under a system of laws. Mao was a guerilla-fighter, illiterate, and beholden to no laws, constitution, checks and balances, and legal constraints. Mao was the first dictator-emperor of post-1949 China and a Marxist dictator at that. Only a personal account by Mao's doctor could the sordid truth come forth. Dr. Li's book is all the more of historical importance. Some facts from Dr. Li's book.

1. Mao was addicted to sex with peasant's girls, the first Marxist-Leninist sex-emperor. Hundreds of women were served to him like food. While preaching the virtue of a simple peasant life, he created elaborate dancing parties and slept with scores of women in any given night. Contracted with venereal disease, he refused to be treated and infected all the peasant girls with diseases. With a voracious sex appetite, he even had the male security guards massage his private parts. Peasant girls, honored by the opportunity to sleep with Mao even introduced their sisters. The sex-emperor was not only preaching the virtues of peasants, he was fornicating with all their girls.

2. Mao refused to brush his teeth, bath or wash. Rinsing his teeth with only green tea, all his front upper teeth fell off and a green slime coated his teeth. He had peasant girls give him a sponge bath. For weeks, he would sleep in bed refusing to dress or put on shoes. He kept no regular schedule or work habits. A true illiterate peasant to the end.

3. Mao's court had a continuous air of danger, intrigue, gossip and backstabbing. His wife or second or third in command fell in out of favor. No one, even Dr. Li. Could feel a sense of personal safety. It was an atmosphere of intrigue where one could be eaten by the intrigues and back-stabbing.

4. Mao was fundamentally illiterate and uneducated. Mao had no formal education or modern ideas of economics, medicine, science or nation-building. His idea in the 1950's of producing steel was have everyone melt the pots, pans, and door and doorknobs to produce steel. His idea of living long was the slept with hundreds of peasants girls and "sap their energies".

5. Mao every political campaign, from the 1950's onto the 1960's Cultural Revolution was for one simple reason: he wanted to retain total power. Mao used ideology as a tool to purge dissent and those who did not agree with him or openly criticize him. Seeing the millions of death from famine in the 1950's from his harebrained economic policies, he concocted a campaign even more harebrained than the first one: the Cultural Revolution.

Seeing his failed policies has led to famine and colleagues sensed he was an illiterate oaf, he summoned the teenagers of China to be his Red Guards. Red Guards were brainwashed to utter his saying and rampage and sack the schools, hospitals and government agencies. Millions were tortured, killed, purge and maim because of the sole reason he wanted to retain absolute power. The fine saying that "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" aptly applies to Mao. Dr. Li book provides full details.

Dr. Li book provides a first-hand account Mao. To really understand his place and history, one has to understand Mao himself. Dr. Li does not sugarcoat the facts. The facts are basically that Mao was an illiterate, uneducated, egomaniac bent on retaining full power until his dying days.

The disasters of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution can be understood only if one understands Mao personally. Mao himself had no knowledge of science, economics or law. All his ideas were harebrained simply because he did not have any formal education. The concept of building a modern nation-state is simply beyond his comprehension. However, elaborate sex-emperor parties, back-stabbing, the herding of the people, Mao is an expert at. Dr. Li books has the full facts.

Academics, Intellectual and out of touch "pinheads" fantasize and romanticize about dictators. Dr. Li books sets the facts straight, writes as he sees and hears the facts. He himself was filled with optimism about Mao and China, but reality sets in. After millions starved to death, millions maimed and killed, Dr. Li had no remorse when the dictator died in 1976.

Millions continue to romanticize about this evil dictator. Please read Dr. Li book. Get the facts and truth on Mao. Hitler, Stalin and Mao, the three evil dictators of the 20th. Century that brought untold suffering and death. Dr. Li's book is of great historical value in documenting one of the three dictators. Please buy it, read it, and judge the facts for yourself.

Seek the truth on Mao and you will know how he brought death, famine, and suffering to millions. Dr. Li's book is a good starting point on the facts on Mao. Buy the book.

Rating:
Summary: complex & revealing portrait of Mao
Review: The Private Life of Cahirman Mao is a fascinating, detailed portrait of this towering figure in world history.

It's the good, the bad and the ugly, so come with an open mind.

Recommend the Soong Dynasty (Sterling Seagrave, 1986) as a historical counterpoint.

Rating:
Summary: mao=china's first communist emperor
Review: This is an excellent book, an interesting read about one of the most important people of the 20th century. A few of the author's insights are very good: (1)Mao was a 19th century man trying to understand the 20th century and the problems of scientific development of his country, he was never really up to it. (2)Mao as a historian of chinese history modelled himself after some of the worse of the chinese emperors, consciously using people's feelings and grossly manipulating those around him to be loyal to him above all else.
As i reflect on the book i see it as a necklace of pearls, a group of personal encounters of the author with mao, strung together chronologically with very little analysis or self examination on the author's part to join them together or to put them into a greater context. Certainly he regretted his part in the government in his old age, he remarks as his feelings towards mao changes over the years to disillusionment, but the book is not about how Mao effected him personally. This, i believe is from how he must have written the book, for during the cultural revolution he burned 40 volumes of his notes and journals out of a well placed fear that they would incriminate him if they fell into the hands of the red guards. So what did he use to write the book, his memory over a 60 year period? I think this is why the book has the character of a stringing together of incidents, a pearl necklace of events where his life and that of mao intersected. I don't fault the writing, the facts are probably as true as memory can make them, but i wonder how much better the book would have been if he had gotten those burnt books to someplace safe. To later use them as primary reference to write this book. For history, truth and factuality is most important, therefore i would classify this as a well written memoir rather than coherent purposeful history....but whatever the genre you really ought to read this book, if only to glimpse the heart of a man responsible for the deaths of 60 million chinese...

Rating:
Summary: Great Read. Truth is Stranger Than Fiction. Incredible.
Review: Dr. Li's book is no less than a miracle. Imagine the personal doctor of Stalin, Lenin or Hitler writing a detailed, meticulous biography of the doctor's patient. No academic or historian, Marxist theorists, or chain-smoking, cafe-intellectual could tell it like it is. This is Mao personal Doctor for 22 years. The world has to thank Dr. Li and required reading for historians of China.

1. The facts are from the "horses mouth". Mao has the most disgusting hygiene known to man. Did not know what toothpaste was. Eating habits of a pig. Read book for full details.

2. Mao has voracious sex appetite. No need for Penthouse or Playboy magazines. Fornicating with Red Guards, catching diseases and making moves on teenage girls. Details are in book.

3. Mao was ignorant, uneducated peasant who never went beyond primary school. Knew nothing about science, economics or nation building. Disasters all from 1949 - 1976. Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolutions. Disasters that caused upwards to 30-50 million death. Details are in book.

4. Disaster and catastrophe for China that depended on one man for guidance, depends on a ignorant dictator. No laws, no constitution, no orderly transfer of power. After reading Dr. Li Book, make me thankful for U.S. Constitution and the 43 Presidents U.S. has had. The U.S. system of government is a Miracle when compared to one of China and Soviet Union. Book shows how when a nation is run by an ignorant ruthless dictator, what are the consequences to lives and development of nation.

All the left-wing America haters out there should read this book. Blind reliance on a dictator or so called "leader" lead to death.

Some apologists for the dictator of death will say China is "different" and Western "standards" should not apply. Morons. Does starving millions need a "different standard" Do people in China have 3,4,5,6 eyeballs. They are part of humanity. Death and misery pains us all. All Americans, all peoples of the world should read this book to find out what happens when blind obedience is given to a ignorant dictator.

The world should thank Dr. Li for his courage and humanity. The world's school children should read this book so as to values the rule of law and democracy. The book is now banned in China, but future generations will read this book.

Mao portrait still hangs in Beijing. His body is on display at the Mausoleum. Dr. Li books is just the beginning of the study of the Mao period. 1949-1976 and the Communist period 1949-2000. Final judgment on Mao and his reign has not been concluded yet.

However, Dr. Li first hand account is the starting point for a reevaluation of Mao and disasters and nightmare of his reign