Wen Qimei

Wen Qimei (February 12, 1867 – October 5, 1919) was a Chinese woman who achieved notability as the mother of political leader and revolutionary Mao Zedong. Together with her husband, the farmer Mao Yichang, she lived in a rural village in Shaoshan, Hunan Province.

Early life

She was betrothed to Mao Yichang when she was thirteen and he was ten; their wedding took place five years later.

Raising Mao Zedong

After the birth of Mao Zedong, his parents were presented with a rooster, as was the local custom. Wen was concerned for her baby's health, having had two sons previously die in infancy. She took the baby to see a Buddhist monk who was living in the mountains, and asked her to take care of him. The nun refused, believing that baby Zedong appeared healthy. From there, she traveled to her father's house in a neighbouring district, along the way stopping at a temple devoted to the bodhisattva Guan Yin, where she prayed that the deity would become Zedong's foster mother.