Mao Zejian

Name: Mao Zejian
ISBN: 9787514711905

PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, Academy of Military SciencesXuexi Publishing House · ChinaSep 2025

3.9

Word count: 51K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787514711905

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Summary

Part of the "Stories of Chinese Martyrs" series, this book tells the life of revolutionary martyr Mao Zejian in narrative form.

Divided into four chapters—"A Childhood of Hardship," "Onto the Revolutionary Path," "Into the Workers' and Peasants' Movement," and "Persisting in Guerrilla Warfare"—it opens with Mao Zejian's troubled childhood and explains the background that led "Sister Ju" of Shaoshanchong to seek the truth of national salvation. The book recounts how she led student movements at the Third Women's Normal School, joined the workers' and peasants' movement, became a guerrilla leader, outwitted the enemy, and fought bravely until her capture and sacrifice, unfolding the story of her brief but great life.

Editor's review

Compiled by the PLA Party History and Military History Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences and published by Xuexi Publishing House (ISBN 9787514711905), this book focuses on the revolutionary career of Comrade Mao Zejian, Mao Zedong's cousin and an outstanding representative of China's early women's movement and workers' and peasants' revolution. Drawing on detailed historical archives and recollections of eyewitnesses, it not only outlines her brief and heroic life—from her studies and Party membership to leading guerrilla struggles and dying a martyr's death—but also vividly conveys the ideals, faith, and spirit of sacrifice of countless revolutionaries of that era. As a serious work of Party and military history research, its restrained and accurate narrative avoids over-dramatization, yet carries a power of its own to move the reader. It shows that history is not written by a few giants alone, but forged by many flesh-and-blood individuals like Mao Zejian who held up a faint light in the darkness. For readers seeking to understand the real circumstances and inner world of early Chinese Communists, especially women revolutionaries, this book offers a valuable first-hand perspective. Its detailed depiction of the early workers' and peasants' movement in Hunan also provides solid material for regional history research. Overall, it is a work that combines scholarly value with educational significance, and the historical weight beneath its plain prose merits careful reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers and enthusiasts interested in the early history of the CPC, especially the revolutionary history of Hunan
Readers hoping to understand the role and contributions of women revolutionaries in modern Chinese history
Party and government cadres and students seeking revolutionary tradition education and inspiration of ideals and faith
Readers who enjoy biographies based on solid historical sources and rigorous narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or novelistic dramatic plots
Readers wholly opposed to or one-sidedly critical of modern Chinese history

Reading tips

Read alongside sources on Mao Zedong's early life or the Hunan peasant movement to build a more three-dimensional historical picture
Pay attention to the primary documents and oral histories cited in the book to appreciate the rigor of historical research
Consider individual destinies within the broader context of the era to understand the power of ideals and faith in extreme circumstances

About the publisher

Xuexi Publishing House China · Founded in 1993

Xuexi Publishing House is a book, audio, and electronic publishing unit under the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, with its publishing focus on promoting and explaining the Party's innovative theories. It has 171 books in the database, commonly classified under law, politics, general biography, and documentary literature. Representative titles include the Study Outline of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the Study Outline of Xi Jinping Thought on Economics, the One Hundred Questions for Studying the Report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Study Questions and Answers on Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, and biographies of Tan Sitong, Qiu Jin, Ye Ting, and Peng Xuefeng. Its author resources include the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Office of the Commission for Overall Law-Based Governance of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, as well as Zhang Haipeng, Zhao Xingsheng, and Cui Huajie — mostly institutions and researchers in relevant fields, reflecting a publishing profile that gives equal weight to theoretical works and biographies.

版权信息
中华先烈人物故事汇《毛泽建》编委会
引子
01 多难的童年
命运多舛的“菊妹子”
毛泽东亲自为她取名
两块银圆
毛母托孤
“童养媳”逃出苦海
02 走上革命道路
走进新学堂
“泽建这颗钉子，是打进洞了！”
赶走反动校长
毛泽东给她当红娘
03 投身工农运动
惩治“鲁恶鬼”
“我们的女先锋”
智斗“罗老八”
支援北伐战争
创建农民武装
远近闻名的女游击队长
04 坚持游击战争
夫妻智勇脱险
再返耒阳城
兄妹重逢
妙计除敌酋
两度被捕
狱中斗争
英勇就义
05 尾声
后记

FAQ

What were Mao Zejian's main historical contributions?

Mao Zejian was an early CPC member who actively participated in and organized peasant and women's movements in Hunan and led local guerrilla struggles. She was one of the important figures during the Jinggangshan revolutionary struggle, and her activities accumulated valuable experience for later revolutionary efforts.

What is the book's narrative stance and what are its historical sources?

The book was compiled by an authoritative military history research institution. Its stance is based on the mainstream Party history view, and its sources mainly come from historical archives, local gazetteers, newspapers and periodicals of the time, and memoirs of eyewitnesses, with emphasis on objectivity and accuracy of historical facts.

Is this book boring to read?

This is a scholarly biography with a plain and rigorous narrative style that focuses on presenting historical facts. Readers without interest in the relevant historical background may find the information dense. It is recommended for readers with a basic understanding of this period of history, who will better appreciate its value.

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About the author

PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, Academy of Military Sciences Author

The PLA Party History and Military History Research Center of the Academy of Military Sciences is a specialized research institution under the Academy of Military Sciences. Its full name is the PLA Party History and Military History Research Center, and it is affiliated with the Academy of Military Political Work. It mainly performs official duties in compiling history, writing biographies, and editing chronicles, and undertakes major compilation projects such as the Military History of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. It is regarded as one of the "national teams" in Party and military history research. The center has 31 works in the database, focused on documentary literature and comprehensive biography. Its representative works cover figures such as Ye Ting, Peng Xuefeng, Mao Anying, Xiang Ying, Zhao Shangzhi, Zhu Rui, Xie Zichang, and Luo Binghui. Due to limited public information, details of its institutional evolution and staffing are unknown, but based on its existing works, the center emphasizes rigorous historical source organization in presenting the lives of revolutionary figures. Its writing style leans toward documentary and biography, and it has a certain influence in popularizing Party and military history.