Xiong Huazhi

Xiong Huazhi (February 1935 – 2006) was the daughter of He Zizhen and Mao Zedong. She was born in Guizhou Province during the Red Army’s Long March. Shortly after her birth, due to the army’s continuous movements, she was left behind and later adopted by a Miao ethnic family, who raised her under the name ‘Mao Mei.’

Separated from her parents at birth, Xiong Huazhi grew up in a rural Miao community without knowledge of her true lineage. She lived an ordinary life in the countryside, eventually marrying and starting her own family.

In 2003, through historical records and DNA verification, authorities confirmed that she was indeed the biological daughter of Mao Zedong and He Zizhen. Following this discovery, she established contact with some of her relatives, and her identity was officially recognized.

Xiong Huazhi passed away in 2006 at the age of 71. Her life was marked by decades of separation from her family and eventual rediscovery, a story that has been documented in several historical accounts about the Red Army and Mao Zedong’s family.