Mao Zedong was a Chinese communist revolutionary who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The name refers to Mao (surname) and Zedong (given name), and is pronounced with Mandarin phonology. In English contexts, the full name is commonly rendered with the family name first in Chinese order but often adapted to Western naming conventions in speech. The term is used in historical, political, and scholarly discussions about 20th-century China.
Full pronunciation guide
