Mao Anying

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Mao Zedong with his children Li Na, Mao Anying (in the middle) and his wife Liu Songlin

Mao Zedong and Mao Anying

Mao Anying (Chinese: 毛岸英, Pinyin: Máo Ànyīng) (October 24, 1922 – November 25, 1950) was the eldest son of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui. Educated in Moscow, he was killed in action by an air attack during the Korean War.

[edit] Early life

Mao Anying was born on October 24th, 1922, in an American hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province. He was first tutored in Shanghai in 1930, and from 1936 on, educated in Paris and Moscow under a pseudonym. He joined the Soviet Army upon the outbreak of the Second World War and saw combat in the Eastern European theater. After the war, he returned to China in January, 1946, and married Liu Songlin in October 1949.

[edit] Korean War

At the outbreak of hostilities in 1950, Mao Anying joined Peng Dehuai in Shenyang on October 8th and crossed the Yalu with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army on October 25th. He was employed as a Russian translator for Peng's staff. On November 25th, he was killed in an air raid by U.S. forces, aged 28.

As the first son of Mao Zedong, Peng and other senior Chinese leaders were at first unwilling to allow him into Korea. His death was not reported to Mao Zedong until January, and only Zhou Enlai was at first notified. This delay was later used by Mao against Peng during the purges of the Cultural Revolution.