The Private Life of Chairman Mao by Li Zhi-Sui, Li Zhisui, Tai Hung Chao (Translator)
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: April 1996
- 736pp
- Sales Rank: 207,235
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: April 1996
- Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
- Format: Paperback, 736pp
- Sales Rank: 207,235
- ISBN-13: 9780679764434
- ISBN: 0679764437
Synopsis
From 1954 until Mao Zedong's death 22 years later. Dr. Li Zhisui was the Chinese ruler's personal physician. For most of these years, Mao was in excellent health; thus he and the doctor had time to discuss political and personal matters. Dr. Li recorded many of these conversations in his diaries, as well as in his memory. In this book, Dr. Li vividly reconstructs his extraordinary time with Chairman Mao. of illustrations.
Annotation
Dr. Li, Chairman Mao's personal physician and confidant for 22 years, takes readers for the first time into the Chinese dictator's very private world. From 1954 to 1976, Dr. Li attended the chairman almost daily and was privy to his most intimate thoughts and secrets, both personal and political. Includes many shocking, extraordinary revelations. First serial to U.S. News and World Report. 16 pages of photos.
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Private Life of Chairman Maoby Anonymous
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December 19, 2007: An Interesting Episode in Dr. Li?s memoirs The Private Life of Chairman Mao The book of The Private Life of Chairman Mao was Dr. Li?s memoirs. Dr. Li said that his book was not a biography of Chairman Mao, nor a history of the Chinese Communist Party. Instead his book is of his own survival experience as Chairman Mao?s personal physician for 22 years, and about China under Communist rule. There are a lot of biographies about Chairman Mao. All read like a cartoon comedy, very boring. But Dr. Li?s memoir is like a survival thriller movie. It is great, interesting, exciting and entertaining. Dr. Li?s successful survival experience is a legendary and miraculous tale. From beginning to the end, it kept me on the edge of my chair, breathless until I finished the last page. The book is written in a humorous way. Sometimes, it was funny, but combined with spine tingling thrills. Many times, while Dr. Li was working for Chairman Mao, Dr. Li confronted great peril. But each time, an invisible force made it a funny, interesting and unexpected end. Dr. Li had never got hurt from the vicious politics. Chairman Mao did not mind that Dr. Li was a Christian, and a member of the intelligence agency of the previous regime. This was the myth of Dr. Li?s miracle story. There is a very interesting scenario in the book. One day, Chairman Mao wanted to watch some Chinese local operas, and asked Dr. Li to recommend a local opera to him. Dr. Li recalled when he was a little boy he watched a local opera named Lee Hui Niang. Dr. Li had only a little vague impression about the play. He remembered there were a lot of ghosts in the play and very entertaining. He thought Chairman Mao would like it, and recommended it to him. Chairman Mao pleasingly accepted Dr. Li?s recommendation, and notified his chief commanding officer of guards to arrange the performance. Several days later, the performance was ready. Chairman Mao and his entourage went to watch the play. They were warmly welcome with the thunderous applause from the audience when they walked in the theatre. Then, they sat down. Dr. Li sat next to Chairman Mao with excitement. After a short intermission, the theatre was silenced and the performance was started. At the beginning, Chairman Mao was pleased and excited by the play. His face was glowing with smiling. But, when the performance was going to the half of the play, suddenly, Chairman Mao?s face changed to be very ghastly. His eyebrow was tightened heavily. His eyes glared furious flame at the stage. The pleased and excited smile on his face at the beginning was completely gone. A great shock hit Dr. Li?s heart badly. Dr. Li thought the glare on Chairman Mao?s face was an evil omen for him. Because he recommended the play to Chairman Mao, he would get big trouble from his recommendation. Later, Chairman Mao looked worse, and suddenly stood up walking out of the theatre. Dr. Li thought: too bad, big trouble was going to happen to him. He followed Chairman Mao out of the theatre, sat in the car, and went back to Chairman Mao?s courtyard. Chairman Mao did not talk to Dr. Li a word on the way home. Dr. Li thought that his recommendation was going to be a big disaster for him. The second day, Chairman Mao?s wife called Dr. Li and the chief commanding officer of guards to see her. She asked them who recommended that play to Chairman Mao. Both of Dr. Li and the chief commanding officer of guards said they didn?t know whose...
Private Life of Chairman Maoby Anonymous
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March 22, 2004: While reading this book, I constantly had to remember that the story was about Chairman Mao and not in fact about the doctor. Yet I found his way of writing unique and translated very well. He gave to the readers a side of the greatest leader of China that nobody really knew. This really is the utmost privacy of Mao, the real him instead of the political image of him. Not only does the biography tell you about his everyday life but it gives the readers knowledge of what was happening within China at the time, such as relationship between China and the Soviet Union. If one were writing a paper on Mao, this would be the book to consult for research, it gives you all sides of what is needed for an excellent book!
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