Mao Zedong – Assistant Librarian
Mao Zedong was the leader of the Communist Party of China and is one of the founding fathers of the People’s Republic of China. He is also responsible for a collection of political theories and military strategies known as Maoism. He is a polarizing figure that was seen by many as the man who modernized China, drove out Imperialism, and made the country into a world power. By others, Mao is recognized as little more than a brutal dictator comparable to Hitler and Stalin.
He was born to a wealthy farming family in Shaoshan in 1893. Mao was sent to school and had an arranged marriage, but found himself stifled by his controlling family. He joined the army but resigned in 1912 after just six months. Mao then tried a number of different pursuits including the police academy, soap production, economics school, law school, and he finally ended up attending Changsha Middle School. He spent most of his time in the library reading about the great philosophers and scientists of the West. His father grew impatient with Mao’s focus on intellectualism instead of the farm and he cut off his son. This forced Mao to live in a hostel and beg for food.
After graduating from Changsha Middle School, Mao went on to Peking University. He was still destitute but was given a job as an assistant librarian at the University library. He was paid so little that he had to live in a small room with seven others just to survive while in school. His financial position and his studies led him to join the Chinese Nationalist Party in 1920.
That same year, General Tan Yankai of the Chinese Nationalist Party led his troops into Changsha and forced the Governor of the Hunan Province to flee. For his support, Mao was named headmaster of the First Normal School, where he earned a substantial salary. From there, Mao rose through the ranks of the communist party and eventually took control of China.