Home » Images » 0010 Pictures From History » CPA0004959

China: Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai seated together and clapping, c. 1952.

Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung, Chinese communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, author, political theorist, and leader of the Chinese Revolution. Commonly referred to as Chairman Mao, he was the architect of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949, and held authoritarian control over the nation until his death in 1976. His theoretical contribution to Marxism-Leninism, along with his military strategies and brand of political policies, are now collectively known as Maoism.

Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. Zhou was instrumental in the Communist Party's rise to power, and subsequently in the development of the Chinese economy and restructuring of Chinese society.