Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63398 in Books
• Published on: 1996-04-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 688 pages

Synopsis
For 22 years, Dr Zhisui Li was Mao Tse-tung's personal physician, confidant and companion. He saw Mao and his country through the years of "the Great Leap Forward" and the Cultural Revolution. In this book Li reveals details of Mao's relations with Krushchev and other Soviet leaders, and the growing paranoia that led Mao to turn against the Chinese Communist Party's ruling clique. The book also includes details of Mao's private life - his sexual appetite, the luxury and corruption of his imperial court, how he dominated his circle of intimates, his gradual physical disintegration, and the political effects of his aims, fears and idiosyncrasies.

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

Customer Reviews

Excellent!
Having lived abroad for 10 years away from China, I was very curious to read about the history of the culture revolution and what exactly happened there and then. I knew very little except the bits and pieces parents generation mentioned, hence it was an excellent opportunity to get down to the facts, timelines and true reasons behind.

Dr Li gave an excellent insight to what happened during the 22 years of his service to Mao as his personal physician. It answered many of my questions I had and helped me to understand what environment my parents' generation grow up in.

I would recommend this book to others who is also curious as me.

Fascinating
Fascinating stuff. I think that it is probably best read in conjunction with one of the more general biographies of Mao, to get an overview of the broader political movements at the time.

A fascinating read, hard to put down!
This is the view of Mao from one of the people closest to him. Dr Li writes honestly and openly about life with the man who changed China forever. The book gives more insight into the way Mao thought up his policies than many other books I have read on the subject and does so in a way that makes the book a very easy read, although the content is not always pleasant!
I would recommend this book to anyone who has read books such as 'Wild Swans' as it gives a very different perspective on the way China was being governed. It also shows the reader how paranoia and the desire for ultimate power can destroy someones ability to reason and act responsibly.