Mao Tse-tung: Life and Legacy is a short film on the political life of the Chinese leader, primarily focusing on post-World War II developments. The film opens with Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong) lying in state and Chinese mourners filing past his body as they pay their respects. The film shows some famous sites in China, including shrines and the Great Wall of China (00:51). A young Mao stands with other men at a mountain sanctuary (01:07). A member of the communist group teaches Mao’s troops guerrilla tactics. Mao’s rival, Chiang Kai-shek, addresses a crowd of Chinese (01:25). There are a few short clips of fighting during the Chinese civil war (01:33) and during the Japanese occupation. Following Japan’s withdrawal, the film shows Chinese women eating grass during a period of famine. General George C. Marshall arrives in Shanghai and greets leaders of both Chinese factions (02:07). Marshall stands with Zhou Enlai and Zhang Qun, and the men announce the formation of a coalition government. Mao breaks the agreement, and his communist troops march. Mao enters Shanghai after defeating Chiang Kai-shek and the nationalists (02:52); communist soldiers sit with artillery guns as Mao enters the city. In Peking, Mao announces the birth of the People’s Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek oversees a military parade in Taiwan. General Douglas MacArthur, commander of U.N. forces in Korea, sits in a jeep with his officers and looks at a map during the conflict (04:17). Footage shows the Allied forces pushing north; troops cross 38th parallel and cause Communist China’s military to attack; Mao’s soldiers fire on Allied troops. Footage shows dead and wounded U.S. servicemen. U.S. Lt. Gen. William Harrison, Jr. and North Korean General Nam Il sign the armistice ending the fighting on 27 July 1953 at P’anmunjom (05:07). Journalists watch as the two sides exchange prisoners (05:18). North Koreans celebrate Chinese troops as the soldiers depart for China (05:50). On Taiwan, Madam Chiang Kai-shek (06:15) speaks to the camera about the readiness to invade mainland China and their desire to return home. U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles walks with Chiang Kai-shek (06:43), and the U.S. 7th Fleet patrols the Straight of Taiwan in a show of support for Chiang’s government. Mao speaks to his supporters (07:24), and then the film shows his forces attacking a small outpost of nationalists on a small island off of mainland China (07:31). A U.S. representative speaks at a U.N. meeting, opposing membership for communist China (07:56). In the early 1960s U.S. Ambassador to Poland Jacob Beam meets with People’s Republic of China Ambassador Wang Bingnan in Warsaw (08:46). A delegate from Taiwan speaks against his country’s expulsion from the U.N. in 1971 (09:04); Taiwan is expelled, and many members of the assembly celebrate the admittance of the People’s Republic of China. Mao and Henry Kissinger meet in secret (10:10). President Richard Nixon arrives in Peking in February 1972 (10:26) and is greeted by Chinese officials; Nixon later meets with Mao. The film concludes with more footage of Chinese people mourning Mao as he lies in state (11:40), and footage of his successor, Hua Guofeng, meeting with party officials and speaking to a crowd of people.
Mao Zedong (/ˈmaʊ (d)zəˈdʊŋ/; December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who became the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, which he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. His theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
