Here is the story of Mao Zedong, the Chinese leader who has made headlines following the reported backlash over Kylian Mbappé’s joke and claims of La Liga broadcast restrictions in China. 🧵 A football meme has unexpectedly brought one of the most controversial and influential figures in modern history back into the spotlight. But who exactly was Mao Zedong, and why does his image carry so much significance in China? 1. WHO WAS MAO ZEDONG? 🇨🇳 Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893, in Shaoshan, Hunan province, China. He rose from a relatively prosperous farming family to become a revolutionary leader who changed the course of Chinese history. He was a communist revolutionary who believed China needed a complete political and social transformation. His ambitions would eventually reshape an entire nation. 2. HOW HE ROSE TO POWER In 1921, Mao became one of the founding members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). China was experiencing political instability, internal conflict, and struggles over who would control the country. Mao helped build a revolutionary movement among rural peasants, breaking from the traditional Marxist emphasis on urban industrial workers. Following years of civil war and conflict with Japanese forces, the communists emerged victorious on the Chinese mainland. On October 1, 1949, Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. He had become the country's paramount leader. 3. THE MAN WHO TRANSFORMED CHINA Under Mao, China underwent enormous changes. His government redistributed land, nationalized major industries, expanded literacy campaigns, and pursued public health initiatives. The Communist Party consolidated control over a country that had experienced decades of conflict and fragmentation. For many of his supporters, Mao represented national independence, revolutionary victory, and China's emergence from a period of foreign domination. His legacy remains deeply embedded in China's national identity. 4. BUT HIS RULE CAME AT A TERRIBLE COST Mao's leadership also brought devastating consequences. In 1958, he launched the Great Leap Forward, an ambitious campaign intended to accelerate industrialization and transform agricultural production. The policies contributed to a catastrophic famine between 1959 and 1961, during which tens of millions of people died. Then came the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Millions faced persecution, public humiliation, imprisonment, forced displacement, and violence. Schools were disrupted, cultural treasures were destroyed, and political campaigns tore communities apart. Mao remained in power until his death in 1976. His policies and political campaigns left a legacy of suffering that historians continue to examine. 5. WHY IS MAO STILL SO IMPORTANT IN CHINA? Here is where the Mbappé controversy becomes particularly interesting. Mao is not remembered in China in exactly the same way he is often portrayed in Western historical accounts. For many Chinese people, he represents the founding of the People's Republic, the end of a period of national weakness, and the establishment of a unified central government. His portrait remains prominently displayed at Tiananmen Gate in Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party continues to recognize his central role in the country's revolutionary history, even while acknowledging serious mistakes during his rule. His legacy is complicated: revolutionary founder to some, authoritarian ruler responsible for immense suffering to others. Both realities are essential to understanding his place in history. 6. THE MBAPPÉ MEME CONTROVERSY The reported controversy involving Kylian Mbappé centres on a meme comparing the French football star to Mao Zedong. The joke draws on the visual resemblance created by the meme and the nickname associated with it. However,