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Kong Dongmei

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Chinese entrepreneur (born 1972)

Kong Dongmei
孔东梅
Born (1972-01-01) 1 January 1972 (age 52)
Shanghai, China
OccupationEntrepreneur
Spouse Chen Dongsheng ​(m. 2011)​
Children3
Relatives

Kong Dongmei (Chinese: 孔东梅; born 1 January 1972) is a Chinese entrepreneur. She is the granddaughter of Mao Zedong.

Early life

Kong Dongmei was born in Shanghai on 1 January 1972, to Li Min, the daughter of Mao Zedong, and Kong Linghua. She was given her name Dongmei by Mao himself. Kong never met her grandfather in person and they only saw each other in pictures. She spent much of her childhood with her grandmother, He Zizhen, in Shanghai until her death in 1984.

Education and entrepreneur career

In 1992, Kong was admitted to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (now known as Beihang University), where she majored in English and American literature. In an interview, she recalled: "At that time, I fantasized about opening a small bookstore and living a petty bourgeois life of reading Hemingway’s novels, drinking coffee and raising a cat."

In 1996, she joined the then newly established Taikang Life Insurance Company and in 1999, she went to the United States to study at University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a major in international politics. After her graduation, she returned to China in 2001 and founded the Beijing Dongrun Juxiang Bookstore Co., Ltd. Located at 798 Art Zone, the bookstore sells literature and paraphernalia related to Mao Zedong and communism. During this time, she studied for her doctorate at Peking University.

In 2009, she visited Taiwan as part of a delegation from China to promote cultural and educational ties, and met with John Chiang, the grandson of former leader of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek. The meeting was then seen as a sign of the improvement of Cross-Strait relations. In 2013, Chinese magazine New Fortune published the '500 Rich List', which featured Kong Dongmei and her husband Chen Dongsheng and ranked them at 242nd position with an estimated 5 billion yuan ($815 million). Her inclusion prompted a debate among Chinese citizens, with some accusing her of betraying Mao's ideals.

Personal life

In 1996, after joining the Taiking Life Insurance, Kong met the founder of the company Chen Dongsheng. The couple formally married in 2011 and they have three children.

References

  1. "毛泽东外孙女签售新书 还原外公为普通人(图)". iFeng. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. ^ "毛泽东家三代女性的百年传奇:贺子珍孤独一世情". People's Daily. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. "贺子珍、李敏、孔东梅 毛泽东家三代女性的百年传奇 (3)". cpc.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  4. Yang, Guang (11 May 2010). "On the shoulders of giants". China Daily. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. Duncan, Maxim (28 September 2009). "Mao's granddaughter keeps memory alive in bookshop". Reuters.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  6. AFP (17 November 2009). "Mao descendant meets grandson of Chiang Kai-shek". Taipei Times. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  7. "Mao and Chiang heirs bridge gap". BBC. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  8. ^ Huang, Cary (9 May 2013). "Mao Zedong granddaughter on rich list, prompting debate". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  9. Herman, Marc (13 May 2013). "Mao's Granddaughter is Filthy Rich. Who Cares?". Pacific Standard. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  10. "苦恋15年 毛泽东外孙女孔东梅嫁富豪陈东升". Takung.cn. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
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