Tian Jiaying

Tian Jiaying (; January 4, 1922 – May 23, 1966) was Mao Zedong's personal secretary for 18 years. He committed suicide at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.

Early life Tian was born on January 4, 1922, in Chengdu, Sichuan, Republic of China. He lost his father at age 3, and his mother at age 9, and dropped out of school due to poverty. When he was 11, Tian became an apprentice in his brother's pharmacy in Chengdu. In 1935, 13-year-old Tian Jiaying became a local "prodigy" for his work in poetry and writing and began to publish his poetry and newspaper articles in Sichuan.

In 1980, the CCP Central Committee politically rehabilitated Tian, and held memorial service in his honor.