Mao Zedong was born to a wealthy farming family, and lived an ordinary rural life as a child. His parents had enough money to educate their son, however, and he decided that he was destined for greater things.
Dec. 26, 1893 - Mao Zedong Born at Shaoshan, Xiangtan County, Hunan Province
His parents were relatively wealthy farmers. 1901-06 - Mao Attends Local Primary School
1908 - Young Mao Marries Luo Clan Woman
Mao was 15 and his bride 18 at the time of their arranged match. She died just three years later, at 21. 1910 - Terrible Famine Strikes Hunan Province
1911 - Chinese Revolution, Mao Joins Fight Against Qing Emperor
Mao joined the revolutionary forces in Changsha during the fighting that toppled China's Last Dynasty, the Qing. 1912 - Mao Enrolls at Hunan Normal School to Become a Teacher
1915 - Mao Meet Future Second Wife Yang Kaihui
She was the daughter of his professor, Yang Changji, and probably the love of his life (despite three other marriages and countless affairs). 1918 - Mao Graduates from First Provincial Normal School of Hunan
1919 - New Graduate Travels to Beijing, Witnesses May Fourth Movement
1920 - Yang Kaihui and Mao Marry
