Li Zhisui

Who was Li Zhisui?

Li Zhisui was Mao Zedong's personal physician and confidante. He was born in Beijing, China in 1919. After immigrating to the United States, he wrote a biography of his experiences with Mao entitled The Private Life of Chairman Mao.

On February 13, 1995, Li died of a heart attack at his son's house in Carol Stream, Illinois, where he had been living since immigrating.

As a physician, Li was interested in psychiatry. In October 1986, Li wrote the Preface for the first Chinese textbook on psychopharmacology, "Psychopharmacological Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders." [Editors: Drs. Neng Cai （蔡能）, Hong-zhang Shi (史鸿璋）, etc., Shanghai Scientific Technology Publisher, May 1987]