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Private Life Of Chairman Mao: The Memoirs of Mao's Personal Physician Paperback – 4 April 1996

by Zhisui Li (Author)

4.5 373 ratings

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For the first time, here is the extraordinary true story of one of the most powerful men, and ruthless dictators, who ever lived.

Mao Zedong had control over more people for a longer period than any other leader in history. In this intimate biography we learn not only about the imperial grandeur of his life in a country racked by poverty and the vicious infighting at his court, but also about his extraordinary personal habits that equal those of deceased Korean supreme leader, Kim Jong Il, another infamous and idiosyncratic dictator, equally deified and worshipped by his followers: Mao's teeth turned black because he would only brush them with tea; he hardly ever bathed but then received Krushchev in his swimming pool where he obliged the Soviet President to join him. Li's revealing account also chronicles Mao's voracious sexual appetite that led to the seduction of thousands of peasant women because he believed in the mythical healing power of sex.

Zhisui Li spent more time with Mao than perhaps any other person. He witnessed first-hand the catastrophic events that Mao's dotage and paranoia sparked in a country that revered him as a demi-god. The Private Life of Chairman Mao is a landmark biography, as fascinating as it is important to the understanding of modern China, and a must buy for fans of Wild Swans.

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Li is Mao's Boswell ― Irish Times

A unique political and historical autobiography of inestimable worth, an astounding chronicle of human weakness, political intrigue and corruption and the near destruction of a great nation by a great ego -- Martin Booth

One of the most vivid descriptions of a dictator ever written ― The Times

A classic . . . I see Dr. Li as the Tacitus of modern China -- Hugh Trevor-Roper

From the Publisher

'One of the most vivid descriptions of a dictator ever written' The Times

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arrow (4 April 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 736 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0099648814
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0099648819
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 4.6 x 19.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 279,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 148 in Chinese Historical Biographies

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4.5 373 ratings

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Li Zhisui
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Ed

A Fascinating Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2016

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This is a really fascinating account by someone who was with Mao for twenty-two years and was with him at nearly all the major events. I was surprised to note that this book predates the major work 'Mao - The Unknown Story' by over decade. There can be little doubt that Mao was one of the monsters of the twentieth century - probably the worst. His dealings with Kruschev are very revealing. Still some mystery about the end of Lin Biao, who according to one account was not on the Trident plane crash - but that's another story.

2 people found this helpful

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W Matthew M Ridley

Compeling account of life in Mao's inner circle.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2017

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A great book and a classic of its kind. Recommended to me and I recommend it to others. A great fly on the wall account of life in Mao's 'court'. You learn a great deal about the history of the time without being bored by detail. And a fascinating insight into Mao's character and life at the top in early communist China. Compelling.

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Vigilantius

Survival in the poisonous court of paranoiac Chairman Mao

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2012

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This book is a major historical testament, giving a lively eye-witness view of the grimly mesmerising court of Chairman Mao, told by his personal physician. Equally, Dr Li's book is an account of how he managed to survive in the terrifying cauldron of Mao's inner circle for 22 years, remaining sane and reasonably balanced while using all his considerable intelligence to avoid countless political pitfalls - but not all of them.

For the non-specialist, the book could be shorter, cutting out much detail about the bureaucracy and medical twists and turns. Dr Li's memoirs are not a work of historical analysis, though he does cover all of the main events. It's value is as the personal testimony of an acute observer, whose direct involvement and frequent (often daily) personal contact with Mao over more than two decades gives his account the ring of authenticity.

Chairman Mao emerges as a ruthless and far-sighted manipulator of people and ultimately his entire nation, using fear and strategic shifts (including the turn to the USA in 1972) to unbalance everyone, not least the Communist Party - which was the chief target for the dreadful Cultural Revolution of the 1960s - and the USSR, whose patronising attitude he resented greatly. Mao's youthful idealism appears to have withered very early, pushed aside by his drive to yield uncontested power, brooking no criticism or other source of authority.

According to Li, the sensual Mao was utterly cold, with no personal friends amongst his entourage, his fellow leaders or his women. However, Mao had a pronounced sense of humour and an ability to put people at their ease, though often this was to allow him more easily to observe their character and to probe their weaknesses. Allied to his immense ego was a truly independent mind and a cunning sense of the likely movement in public opinion and of how strategically to turn this to his advantage. Perhaps surprisingly, Dr Li says that Mao privately venerated the USA, both for its technical progress and for the help which America afforded the Communists during World war Two (unlike the USSR). The denunciation of Stalin by Khrushchev in his 'Secret Speech' in 1956 had a galvanising effect on 'Chairman' (as he was called), who saw that his chief enemies would come from within the ranks of the party which he had brought to power.

Dr Li describes in astonishing detail the machinations of those in Mao's personal entourage as well as the unfolding of Mao's major (and always deadly) initiatives - such as the calamitous 'Great Leap Forward' of 1958-1961, which plunged the entire country into famine. 18-45 million died in this profoundly ignorant attempt to overtake Great Britain in 15 years simply by producing more steel and industrial commodities, neglecting agricultural production. Though he pretended to ignore the terrible starvation which this terrible policy led to, Mao was insecure for ever after this, sensing that he had lost the true adulation of the masses and the party hierarchy, despite the fact that outwardly the cult of Mao became more vociferous. This led directly to the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1971, which was ultimately directed against the party 'intellectuals' and the other leaders whom the paranoiac Mao saw as the main threats against him, notably Liu Shaoqui and Deng Xiaoping.

Time and again Li details Mao's tactics for keeping everyone in a state of fear. He would first of all stir up a storm of criticism inside his court or amongst the press about some apparently minor issue, which threatened one or other group of mid-level cadres. Often he would use poetic language to imply what he wanted, but never with real clarity, since it was important to conceal his ultimate purpose, which was always to consolidate his own power. Because of the intensely subservient and strong group loyalty of the Chinese people (as portrayed by Li), the threat would ultimately creep up the hierarchy towards one or several of the main leaders of the country. Mao would then retreat from Beijing 'to allow the snakes [his enemies] to come out of their holes'. The witch hunt would gather pace, with people denouncing others as 'anti-party' for fear of themselves being denounced. Mao would then reappear to restore order and be hailed as the saviour, while rounding on suitable scapegoats who would be exiled to hard labour in the provinces or driven to suicide.

Mao seems to have trusted Dr Li enormously, since he engaged in private conversations with Li on a weekly basis, ostensibly to learn English (which Li knew well, having worked at one point in Australia). For a period in the early 1950s, Li exercised considerable power himself due to his access to Mao, though he was careful not to use his power in the political arena, despite the urgings of many including Mao. This trust diminished considerably in the Cultural Revolution, since Li failed to denounce colleagues and was insufficiently passionate about the aims of the 'revolution', partly because (like everyone else) he was unclear what it was all about and partly because of native caution. The fall from power of Li's main sponsor and protector, the man who was head of Mao's personal security, led to a period of great vulnerability for Dr Li. Nevertheless, Li survived because of his medical skills and his non-political stance. Towards the end, there are some riveting descriptions of Politburo meetings debating Mao's physical condition - astonishing in itself - where medical knowledge is irrelevant and battles about different treatments are determined simply on the basis of factional interest (Li being identified with party interests and therefore different medical opinion was chosen by the 'Mao above the party' faction).

Indeed, an equal interest in this narrative is how Li comes to terms with the compromises which he had to make in order to survive, without wholly becoming Mao's creature - at least, according to his own account. He had to ignore many awful things and to tread a very delicate tightrope. For example, he had to humour the intelligent but powerless and petty wife of Mao, Jiang Qing, in treating her frequent medical false alarms. While not offending her, he also had to guard against being drawn too deeply into her schemes. Jiang was transformed by the Cultural Revolution, when Mao gave her real power, using her as a proxy power base against his perceived enemies. Chapters 66-67 and others contain electric stories from Li's personal involvement in the shameful and bitter infighting which permeated and corrupted the whole country at this time. Even Dr Li is engulfed, accused by Jiang of being a counter-revolutionary who tried to poison her.

The picture emerges not so much of Mao as a mighty emperor (which he was), as a masterful schoolboy, who plots and manoeuvres with great cunning against his fellow play-mates with absolutely no scruple - leading to the dismissal, torture and/or death of many. It takes Dr Li a decade to see that his revered Chairman is interested only in preserving his own power, and that one key element of this is its disguise. The highly intelligent Zhou Enlai appears to have been extremely competent but ultimately completely subservient. Only Deng Xiaoping was able somehow to maintain some independent power, though he too was purged during the Cultural Revolution.

A particularly unsavory aspect of Mao is that he fulfilled his sexual appetite by sleeping with thousands of young, worshipful but ignorant Chinese peasant girls during his decades in power. He was a carrier of genital disease, from which he himself did not suffer. When Dr Li once raised this with him, asking him to take a full bath (he never bathed except when he swam) and to undergo a course of treatment, Mao refused, commenting that 'I wash myself in my women' and that this was sufficient. Until incapacitated by lung infections, Mao continued to demand the sexual service of fresh young girls on a daily basis, graduating to full orgies with four or five women at the same time.

Ultimately, the story is about the survival of Dr Li, not least during the internal battle for power before and after Mao's death in 1976. The pervading fear of the years of the Cultural Revolution is faintly reminiscent of Primo Levi's seminal stories of life in the German death camps: both men were forced to use all their cunning to survive in an intensely hostile and closed world in which the potential penalty for getting it wrong is death (although Levi's experience was of course far more traumatic). At the end of the book Li regrets the loss of his professional career due to his service to Mao, passing over the tens of millions whose lives were twisted or snuffed out while Li ministered to the charmingly poisonous Chairman Mao. Li emerges as perceptive and gentle though vain and lightly self-pitying - but then, how would any of us fare in this scenario? Li's wife, Lillian, always suspect in Red China because of her landlord father, must have been a remarkable woman, keeping her medical-courtier husband in touch with reality and sustaining a family life despite enormous pressure to negate all personal relationships.

It is massively fortunate that Deng Xiaoping emerged wise and relatively humane from this insane and calamitous period of China's long history, to lead the country from the callous chaos of Mao's reign to internal peace and prosperity. However, the dark shadow of Maoist brutality and nationalism still hangs over that benighted country - and thus over all of Asia.

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otto

a must read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 May 2013

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I have read quite a lot on Chinas history during the Mao- years , but still this books gives the reader a unique view into the everyday life of Mao and the topleader within Zhongnanhai. It also gives a very good impression of how life in China developed durieng these 20 years then Dr Li worked as Maos private doctor. So read it - you won't regret it .

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 October 2016

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This is a very engaging book. A fascinating look at one of the world's most murderous dictators and a very illuminating read. Shows what can happen when there is no one around you to tell you you're wrong. Also very entertaining - I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

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Joe

I love this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 June 2015

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I love this book. Such a good narrative. If you want to get behind the scenes of one of the greatest (in a negative sense) dictator of all time, then this is the book for you.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2018

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The book is great but a bad omission is the photos included in the original hard copy edition. I was very disappointed by this.

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Dodo

Excellent.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2014

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I didn't know much about Mao, so if this is a factual account by his doctor it is fascinating. It explains some of the history and personal details
of this dictator, whose policies led to millions dying from starvation and execution.

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Negrazo

No es biografico.

Reviewed in Mexico on 12 December 2023

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Son situaciones que vivio el Dr. Li con Mao Tse Tung, pero no llevan una relacion cronologica de los hechos, se saltan de 1970 a 1950 y viceversa, eso lo hace un poco complicado de entender.

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w. c. manson

Vividly descriptive and shrewdly insightful of the motives of all in the inner circle

Reviewed in the United States on 19 March 2023

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To me, Mao's personality still remained somewhat elusive--notwithstanding the author's intimate daily contact and shrewd insights about him. Mao seemed to have all the shortcomings of a self-made ideologue/intellectual: an imaginative vision of "pure communism," wherein intractable individuality is wholly absorbed into a collective, enthusiastic effort to attain a communitarian paradise of economic equality. (Not unlike the fantasy of proto-communist J.-J. Rousseau, who envisaged ordinarily self-serving citizens submerged into a unified "general will.")
Although Mao, like Lenin, claimed to disapprove of any "cult of personality," he deliberately emulated the traditional Confucian concept of the wise, ruling sage "who is never wrong." And, as with all single-party dictatorships, high officials maintained their status, not through demonstrable managerial skill and competence, but through unswerving loyalty to, and agreement with, the ruler. Mao's disastrous conception of a "Great Leap Forward"--with enthusiastic collective farmers and absurd, backyard steel smelters--meant the deaths of possibly tens-of-millions of starving Chinese, but the more pragmatic officials who criticized the plan were labeled "bourgeois" counter-revolutionaries (with the usual results).
When popular dissatisfaction and unrest climaxed in the Sixties, Mao ruthlessly sidelined political rivals and blamed the government itself (corrupt bureaucrats) for all the disasters, thereby unleashing a violent "Cultural Revolution" of youthful, fanatical acolytes determined to purge the society of all those suspected of deviating from Mao's pure (anti-bourgeois) vision of communism. Another initiative that backfired.
At the same time, Mao as a person is depicted as generally reasonable, tolerant, and eager to resolve disputes in a peaceful manner--at least as far as personal relations were concerned (most notably, with his jealous, aggrieved wife). He was open to learning about and adopting Western advances in science and technology, but remained rooted in an idealized vision of small-scale peasant villages comprised of mutually dedicated members. A longtime megalomaniac, he of course found it wholly acceptable to sexually seduce (and infect with STDs) dozens of naive, awestruck young girls. Nor, within his oddly dissociated awareness of actual social reality, did he care about the tragic sufferings and deaths of millions of individuals--due, in large part, to his ill-conceived, utopian schemes.

2 people found this helpful

Arthur

A MUST READ!

Reviewed in Canada on 3 August 2022

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THRILLING! INFORMATIVE! THOUGHT-PROVOKING!

One person found this helpful

Elodin

Sehr interessanter Einblick

Reviewed in Germany on 20 February 2021

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Das Buch ist erstaunlich lang und deckt dabei eine relativ "kurze" Zeit sehr detailliert ab. Li Zhisui schafft es dennoch, den Leser bei der Stange zu halten. Das Buch ist hervorragend geschrieben und man kann sich viele Stunden daran festlesen. Ob die geschilderten Ereignisse tatsächlich genau so stattgefunden haben, kann man natürlich nicht beurteilen, zumal Li Zhisui selbst zugibt, dass er den Großteil seiner Notizen aus dieser Zeit bereits viele Jahre vor Beginn seiner Niederschrift des Buches aus Sicherheitsgründen vernichtet hat. Nichtsdestotrotz interessant, seine Sicht der Dinge zu erfahren, solange man im Hinterkopf behält, dass nicht alles der absoluten Wahrheit entsprechen muss.

One person found this helpful

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Rinzin

Inside out of Mao's life. Must read Bio of ...

Reviewed in India on 11 July 2017

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Inside out of Mao's life. Must read Bio of Mao and for those whose who want to know China in 60 and 70.

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