Chapter 101 A Family That Doesn’t Look Like a Family 1976

Journalist: “Confucius said: ‘Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state.’ How about your family?”

Mao: “I only cared about rebellion, revolution. I disregarded my family, my wife, and children. I only cared about myself. Confucius taught ethics: ‘Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, bring peace to the world.’ But I followed a different path: ‘Neglect oneself, abandon the family, bring disaster to the country, and chaos to the world.’”

Journalist: “Oh, so you neglected yourself, abandoned your family, and brought disaster to the country?”

Mao: “Yes, in 1927, I led a group up the mountains, becoming a mountain warlord. My actions were no different from bandits. I didn’t inform Yang Kaihui and abandoned my family. After a few months in Jiangxi, I found a new love, had my own mansion, and lived carefree. Of course, it was better than living in poverty with Yang Kaihui, who still had a deep affection for me and ultimately sacrificed herself for me.”

Journalist: “So, you abandoned Yang Kaihui and found a new love, while she remained devoted to you?”

Mao: “Yes, I am a bad person, a sinner. A bad person cannot create a good family. I harmed the country, the people, and my own family.
Yang Kaihui died because of me.
He Zizhen suffered from mental illness because of me.
My son Mao Anying died because I sent him to Korea.
My son Mao Anqing suffered from mental illness due to our wandering life.
My daughter Li Na suffered from schizophrenia by following my example.
My daughter Li Min suffered from mental illness because of me.”

Journalist: “It seems that your influence made it difficult for your wife and children to have a good life?”

Mao: “Yes, Jiang Qing, my dog, took the blame for me and was sentenced to life imprisonment. She ended her life by hanging herself.
My family was ruined, and in the end, I was left alone. With the death of the people, the political situation ceased. It marked the end of 27 years of national calamity and also the end of family troubles.”

Journalist: “Oh, so it was with the ruin of your family and the death of the people that everything came to an end?”