Mao Anying (Chinese: 毛岸英, Pinyin: Máo Ànyīng) (October 24, 1922 – November 25, 1950) was the eldest son of Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui. Educated in Moscow, he was killed in action by an air attack during the Korean War.
Early life
Mao Anying was born in an American Christians hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province. His mother, Yang Kaihui was executed by the Kuomintang in 1930. He and his younger brother, Mao Anqing, escaped to Shanghai, where they attended a kindergarten ran by underground communist party members. In shanghai, they lived with Paster Dong Jianwu (董健吾), who was an underground communist party member. In 1933, the communists moved their headquarter to Jianxi, the Brother's fund was temporarily cut off and they lived on the streets as orphans. Their father, Mao Zedong was in Jiangxi province at the time. In 1936 Anying was brought to Paris by Li Du, from Paris, he was then sent to Moscow where he studied under the pseudonym Xie Liaosha (謝廖沙). He joined the Soviet Army upon the outbreak of the Second World War and saw combat in the Eastern European theater. After the war, he returned to China in January 1946, and married Liu Songlin in October 1949.
Korean War
At the outbreak of hostilities in 1950, Mao Anying joined the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. He met up with the army in Shenyang on 8 October and crossed the Yalu with General Peng Dehuai on October 25. After a brief service of less than one month, Anying was killed in an air raid by U.S. forces, on November 25. Before his death he worked as a Russian translator for Peng's staff. His is buried in Pyongyang, in the Cementary for the Heroes of the Chinese People's Volunteer's army. (some also claim that his body was later shipped to Beijing.
Relation with Mao
Because Mao Anying was the first son of Mao Zedong, Peng and other senior Chinese leaders were at first unwilling to allow him into Korea. When Mao senior was asked to intervene, he refused, saying "He is, after all, the son of Mao Zedong". Immediately after Anying's death, General Peng Dehuai was afraid to report the incident to Mao. It was not until January 1951 that Mao got words of his son's death through premier Zhou Enlai. When the news finally reached Mao, he fell into contemplation, and finally said "In war, there are sacrifices." This delay was later used by Mao against Peng during the purges of the Cultural Revolution.
