Comments on: Who Is the Most Famous Person in Chinese History?

By: AMT

AMT — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:50:38 +0000

The most famous Chinese would probably be Sun Yat-sen in my opinion. This article is a little biased because it comes from the People’s Republic of China’s view. Many Chinese/Taiwanese in the Republic of China (Taiwan) would probably say Chiang Kai-shek or Chiang Ching-Kuo, especially since he ended the marital law and introduced democracy into the ROC. Most of the children in the PRC grew up learning about the PRC’s founders: Mao Ze-dong, Deng Xiao-ping, etc., so when they come out into the international society, they seem to be brain-washed by the Chinese Communist Party. I hope I don’t offend anyone (I don’t mean to), but I just wanted to balance out the fact and provide both views of the so-called most famous “Chinese”.

By: Yong

Yong — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:21:54 +0000

I am a Chinese but I believe Mao’s notoriety surmounts that of Stalin, albeit not necessarily that of Hitler. Mao’s doctrine brainwashed at least two generations of Chinese people, rendering many younger ones morally incapacitated. Yes he was the one who unified the great nation once again, yes without him, China may fall into the hands of Jiang Kai-shek who in turn may have sold the entire country out to the imperialists, blah blah blah… Try buy into all that. And many did.

By: J.macklby

J.macklby — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:35:35 +0000

In 1936,the American journalist Edgar Snow was ‘handpicked’ by Mao to burnish his image in America, because Snow was already then a known Communist sympathiser, who could be relied on by Mao to brush off his blood-splattered past.
Mao and the Chinese Politburo rolled out the Red Carpet for Snow, and carefully prepared scripted answers to a questionaire that Snow had to submit to them in advance, answers that contained valuable disinformation and falsehoods that Snow dutifully reported in his book ‘Red Star over China’.
Thus, since Toadie Snow relied in such a very large way on interviews with Mao and other Communists to write RSOC, he can hardly be regarded as an impartial observer….Furthermore, at the time, the true extent of Mao’s Horror Show was yet to play out over the next 40 years.
So when Mao, near the end of his own life, finally brought Deng Xiao Ping back out of the exile to which Mao had so cruelly banished him, it was because Mao had no other choice left. He simply was calling Deng to come and clean up the horrible, tragic, bloody and devastating mess of China that Mao himself had made.

By: kakert

kakert — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:42:47 +0000

Pamela Anderson? My cousin? She’ll be so rapt you voted for her!

By: kakert

kakert — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:41:26 +0000

Yeah Deng Xiao Ping..he is someone we should always revere..his handling of the UK iron ladt Thatcher with Hong Kong coming back to mainland China was priceless..& all else he achieved for the Chinese people. I have no squabbles over Mao’s greatness too..saved China from being carved up piece by piece like a giant whale by foreign powers , even with all their deceitful attemots.

By: kakert

kakert — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:37:21 +0000

Kinda makes me feel like puking all the laowai here who know so little about this country & its history & famous people..all you know are the movie-stars & not even do you know the real side of these stars!Your ignorance makes me wonder about what you learn at school & what you bother to learn for yourselves instead of swallowing rubbish by the spoonfuls..so dumb, so ignorant, so brainwashed & then so many think Chinese are brainwashed!Ha ha!

By: kakert

kakert — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:32:07 +0000

Xiao Long was NOT American..he was born in Hong Kong..& his name is not Bruce..get hold of his book, ‘Tao of Gung Fu’..read his philosophy!
Why are so many laowai so ignorant about Mao? Get hold of the book by Edgar Snow, ‘Red Star Over China’.. sure he made mistakes as time went on & he admitting doing so, but he savved Chinese people from the greedy clutches of foreign powers, united the Chinese in the battle against Japan, & the hypocrisy of the Koumintang.Propanganda exists everywhere & no so more in China than elsewhere, especially the anti-communist sentiment (& is democracy that MUCH better?)..my favourite global dude is & remains so, Deng Xiao Peng..& hats off to Mao for not having him executed or you laowai may not even have the privilege of being in China today!

By: Robert Vance

Robert Vance — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:01:51 +0000

@Phillip,

Sun Yat-Sen is under-appreciated in China mainly because Mao was such a powerful and commanding figure in recent Chinese history. As far as I am concerned, Sun is the Father of modern China…

I think Totochi was trying to say that in his opinion, Mao is famous like Hitler and Stalin. In many ways, I agree with him but you are right when you say that this is not how the Chinese people see Mao.

By: Phillip

Phillip — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:36:41 +0000

Sun Yat-Sen was regarded by many Chinese as a pioneer in political reforms that had a great personality, yet lacked the finesse to achieve what he wanted. Chinese are fairly practical: Mao’s success in realizing his vision easily makes him more respected than Sun’s grand, yet failed dream of rapid democracy.
The only serious contender with Mao as the “most famous” person in contemporary history is Deng Xiaoping and no one else.

And, no, Totochi, to the Chinese, Mao is most certainly not like Hitler or Stalin.

By: Bowie

Bowie — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 04:23:14 +0000

Actually, it’ s really a difficult question. we all can’t easily tell who is the most famous one. But if there must be one, I think it’s Mao Zedong. It’s not because that he is the founder of the modern China, but that he lets the whole world know that what are Chines like when invaded. It’s a miracle that he led the Chinese through that difficulty though he ever made some mistakes.