It gives us great pleasure to express our deep appreciation to those persons without whose attention and friendly assistance this work would never have seen the light of day. We want to express our thanks to Kirill Mikhailovich Anderson, Bob Bender, Peter W. Bernstein, Ekaterina Borisovna Bogoslovskaia, Cao Yunshan—Mao Zedong's grandnephew, Chen Yung-fa, Georgii Iosifovich Cherniavskii, Laura Deal, Hua-ling Nieh Engle, Friedrich Igorevich Firsov, Fujishiro Kaori, Geng Bao, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gordon, Oleg Aleksandrovich Grinevskii, Michael H. Hunt, Liudmila Konstantinovna Karlova, Elizaveta Pavlovna Kishkina (Li Sha)—a widow of Li Lisan, Tamara Mikhailovna Kolesova, Kong Jining—the grandson of Mao Zedong, Liudmila Mikhailovna Kosheleva, Madeline G. Levine, Li Danhui, Li Huayu, Inna Li—a daughter of Li Lisan, Li Yuzhen, Lin Liheng (Doudou)—the daughter of Lin Biao, William H. Magginis, Larisa Nikolaevna Malashenko, Aleksei Aleksandrovich Maslov, Arlen Vaagovich Meliksetov, Nina Nikolaevna Mel'nikova, Andrew J. Nathan, Christian F. Ostermann, Nina Stepanovna Pantsova, Larisa Aleksandrovna Rogovaia, Svetlana Markovna Rozental', Peter Sillem, Valentina Nikolaevna Shchetilina, Shen Zhihua, Valerii Nikolaevich Shepelev, Stephen Smith, Irina Nikolaevna Sotnikova, Daria Aleksandrovna Spichak, Elena Konstantinovna Staroverova, Ivan Aleksandrovich Tikhoniuk, Yurii Tikhonovich Tutochkin, Ezra F. Vogel, Wang Fanxi, Wang Fuzeng, Yu Minling, Zi Zhongyun—one of Mao's interpreters, and to many citizens of the People's Republic of China who shared their reminiscences of their lives under Mao Zedong, but who prefer to remain anonymous.