Mao Zedong (also spelled Mao Tse-tung); Profession: Revolutionary leader, politician, military strategist, head of state; Nationality: Chinese; Born: December 26, 1893; Birthplace: Shaoshan, Hunan Province, Qing Dynasty China; Generation: Lost Generation/early 20th-century revolutionary; Chinese Zodiac: Water Snake; Zodiac Sign: Capricorn; Age in 2025: Deceased (died September 9, 1976, aged 82); Marital Status: Married multiple times (notably to Yang Kaihui and later Jiang Qing); Children: Several children, including sons and daughters from different marriages, with some dying in conflicts; Description: Mao Zedong was the founding father and paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China, a central figure in 20th-century revolutionary politics whose legacy remains deeply influential and controversial. Born into a peasant family, he became engaged with Marxist and nationalist ideas as China struggled with warlordism, foreign occupation, and dynastic collapse. Mao emerged as a key leader of the Chinese Communist Party, guiding the Red Army through the arduous Long March and gradually forging support among peasants and workers. In 1949, after defeating the Nationalist forces in the Chinese Civil War, he proclaimed the People’s Republic of China and served as its top leader for decades, overseeing sweeping land reforms, nationalization campaigns, and social restructuring. Mao’s policies, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, sought rapid industrialization and ideological purity but also resulted in widespread social upheaval, economic dislocation, and millions of deaths, forming a central part of debates about his historical role. At the same time, his emphasis on mass mobilization, anti-imperialism, and peasant-based revolution inspired movements around the world and reshaped global geopolitics during the Cold War. Mao’s image, writings, and slogans became icons of revolutionary culture, and his impact on China’s trajectory—from a fragmented semi-colonial state to a unified socialist republic—continues to shape the nation’s identity and political culture into the 21st century.