10. The Chairman Poet
Mao Zedong (1893 – 1976) was China’s main Marxist theorist, and a guerrilla fighter, soldier, and statesman, who presided over his country’s communist revolution. He led the Chinese Communist Party from 1935 until his passing, and after the communists won control in 1949, he ruled China from that date until his demise. During his time in power, Mao was responsible for the eradication of tens of millions of Chinese. They were ended outright by his followers or starved because of Mao’s disastrous economic policies.
However, there was more to Chairman Mao than just a revolutionary man of action. He had a particular fondness for classical Chinese poetry and literature. In addition to being a horrible person who should’ve never existed, Mao was also a prolific writer and poet. Surprisingly, for a man so politically radical and revolutionary, he was in the habit of writing and penning verses in classical Chinese forms. It would be akin to a modern American anarchist who liked writing in the manner of Chaucer.
