Based on a decade of research, and on interviews with many of Mao's close circle in China who have never talked before - and everyone outside China who had significant dealings with him, this book is the story of the life of Mao. It is full of revelations, exploding the myth of the Long March, and showing completely unknown Mao.

The most exhaustive, authoritative and revealing biography of Mao ever written, and ever likely to be. Jung Chang brings the story-telling skills of her bestseller "Wild Swans" to the book, and together with her husband, presents a biography that is meticulous in its research and entirely fresh in its content and approach. The reviews were extremely strong, and this paperback edition will be picked up both by historians and the general reader.