Cast of Characters ix
Note on the Spelling of Chinese Words xviii
Introduction: Myths and Realities 1
Part 1 The Apprentice
1. The Foster Child of the Bodhisattva 11
2. On the Threshold of a New World 21
3. "I Think, Therefore, I Am" 31
4. The Sound of Footsteps in a Deserted Valley 47
5. Dreams of a Red Chamber 56
6. The Great Union of the Popular Masses 68
7. Breathing World Revolution, or the Magic of Dictatorship 85
8. "Following the Russian Path" 98
9. The Lessons of Bolshevik Tactics 107
Part 2 The Revolutionary
10. Entering the Guomindang 119
11. Hopes and Disappointments 131
12. Playing with Chiang Kai-Shek 143
13. The Collapse of the United Front 161
14. The Path to the Soviets 185
15. Red Banner over the Jinggang Mountains 200
16. A Single Spark can start a Prairie Fire 216
17. Under the Comintern's Wing 233
18. Dog Eat Dog, Communist-Style 254
19. The Long March 275
20. The Xi'an Incident 289
21. The Flirtatious Philosopher 305
22. Consolidating Control over the CCP 322
23. Stalin, Mao, and the New Democratic Revolution in China 343
Part 3 The Dictator
24. Visit to the Red Mecca 363
25. The Korean Adventure 374
26. The Contradictions of New Democracy 390
27. Socialist Industrialization 400
28. The Great Turning Point 413
29. The Emancipation of Consciousness 424
30. The Great Leap Forward 449
31. Famine and Fear 470
32. "The Dismissal of Hai Rui from Office" 491
33. To Rebel is Justified 507
34. The Red Guard Tragedy 522
35. The Mystery of Project 571 540
36. Death of the Red Emperor 555
Epilogue 573
Acknowledgments 579
Illustration Credits 581
Appendix 1 Mao Zedong's Chronology 583
Appendix 2 Mao Zedong's Genealogy 589
Notes 593
Bibliography 675
Index 715