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Mao Zedong, the founding father of New China, died on Sept 9, 1976. Forty years on and his legacy is still a subject of interest not just to historians but also among people from other walks of life.
His contribution to the creation of the People's Republic in 1949 is at the center of a book that will be released later this year.
The book also highlights how Mao encouraged Chinese to build a national character of someone who "dares to dream, do and combine knowledge with practice".
The upcoming Let's Read about Mao Zedong, written by 51-year-old Peking University professor Han Yuhai, is the English translation of his Chinese book that was published in February. A Dutch version of the same will be launched in the near future, the publishers announced last week in Beijing.
The English and Dutch books are being respectively published by American company Benchmark Education and Leonnon Media from the Netherlands. The Chinese version was published by China Children's Press and Publication Group and Peking University Press.
"In 1949, the average life expectancy in China was 35 years, but by 1976, it was 67," Han, who teaches Chinese literature and language, told China Daily on Thursday. "That's one of Chairman Mao's miracles."
In 1965, Mao had told Andre Malraux, French culture minister, a major reason behind the Communist Party of China's victory in the revolution was that ordinary people, especially peasants, saw CPC leaders eating "what they ate, wearing what they wore".
"The book is designed for younger readers, I was told. So, no notes, no long passages of quotations, and that it must be beautifully illustrated," Han said of the publishers' approach to the book.
The author decided to examine Marxism and Maoism closely following talks over coffee with Lawrence Summers, a former US treasury secretary. That was in 2008, when Han was in New York University as a visiting teacher.
Han's previous book, Karl Marx for Young Readers, was released in English in New York last year.
Han has delved into the personal lives and family backgrounds of Karl Marx and Mao to understand how the German philosopher became a revolutionary socialist and how the Chinese leader's vision for his country evolved.
Mao came from a relatively affluent farming family in Central China's Hunan province and Marx's relatives owned vineyards - but both shunned wealth in their respective journeys to help the underprivileged.
Han has deeply researched Mao's philosophy for this book, which is of significance to both Chinese and foreigners, Lenard Wolters, CEO, Leonnon Media, said.
"We were drawn to this book because we felt that Mao was a highly influential historical figure who is not widely studied in Western culture, particularly among young people," Thomas Reycraft, CEO and president, Benchmark Education, said.
"Despite many setbacks, both personal and political, he (Mao) persevered," Reycraft added.
"A visionary young man with little formal education" who later became "a great mentor to more than 800 million people" is how Han introduces Mao in the Chinese book.
Mao thought Chinese society needed to better organize itself in order to come out of chaos and feudal oppression in the old days.
"Once equality is brought to such a large population, a great potential is unleashed as everyone can now see from the country's transformation," Han said.
Patricia Aldana, a Canadian publisher, said she thought she already knew much about Mao and the revolution.
"Of course I was wrong," Aldana said. "I learned a great deal (from Han's book). To learn about Mao is to learn about the history and development of the China of today."
meijia@chinadaily.com.cn
