Saturday 28 April 2007

Mao's Second Son Dies


The last known surviving son of Mao Zedong, Mao Anqing has died in Beijing at the age of 84. Born in Changsha in 1923, Anqing was the second son of Mao and Yang Kaihui. His mother was brutally executed by a warlord in 1930, and Mao fondly recalled her as the love of his life. Anqing was sent to Moscow, where he remained until 1947 and fought for the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

After returning to China, he fought with his brother in the Korean War. His brother died in action in 1950 as a result of a prolonged American air raid on Chinese forces. After the war, Anqing was periodically admitted into mental institutions, with many blaming his wartime action and an earlier police beating for his mental illness.

Anqing was later employed by the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party to translate Marxist materials from Russian into Chinese. He was also the author of several party approved biographies of his father.

He is survived son, Mao Xinyu and grandson, Mao Dongdong who are believed to be the only surviving male descendants of Mao Zedong.

Sources: Xinhua News Agency and The Independent.

1 comment:

Jeremiah Jenne said...

That's interesting. I hadn't thought of the Korean War as a possible cause of Anqing's reported mental instability. War is bad enough but having one's brother killed while you survive would have been quite traumatic. Could Anqing have possibly suffered from PTSD? I guess will never know.