Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, and grew up speaking Xiang Chinese before later working in Mandarin as his political career took shape. He received his formal education at Hunan First Normal University, and went on to build a life that spanned politics, revolutionary activity, political theory, and writing.

Over the course of his career, Mao worked as a politician, revolutionary, political theorist, writer, poet, and author. He was a communist whose theories came to be known as Maoism, and he was associated with the Marxism–Leninism–Maoism movement. His writings were collected in works including the Selected Works of Mao Zedong and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung. He also received the designation People's Liberation Army Strategist. As a revolutionary, he became the founder of the People's Republic of China, proclaimed in October 1949, and he led the country from that founding until his death in 1976.

Mao died on September 9, 1976, at Zhongnanhai in Beijing. His leadership of the People's Republic had lasted from October 1949 until that final day in September 1976.