Early Life
Yang Kaihui was born in a small village named Bancang, in Changsha, Hunan Province, on November 6, 1901. She was intelligent and had a progressive upbringing. When she was seven years old, an exception was made to allow Yang to attend the forty-primary school of Changsha. When her father returned from Europe in 1913, her whole family settled in Changsha. In the following year, Yang met her future husband Mao Zedong. At that time, the young Yang Kaihui always heard her parents’ praises to Mao Zedong, but just regarded him as her elder brother.
When Yang Kaihui was 17 years old, she met Mao in Beijing. There they often walked together along the moat outside the Forbidden City and wandered in the North Sea Park. After Mao returned to Hunan, they communicated with each other using the salutations "Run" and "Xia", which refer to Mao and Yang respectively. When Mao returned to Beijing later the same year, he stayed in Yang’s home. With the help of Mao Zedong, Yang Kaihui read many progressive publications such as New Youth and New Wave. As Mao and Yang Kaihui became more closely acquainted they fell in love with each other.
In 1920, Yang Changji died due to illness and Yang Kaihui and her mother sent his coffin to Changsha. Yang Kaihui entered into Xiangfu Girls’ School with the help of the father of Li Shuyi. In August of that year, Mao established the Cultural Book Institute in Changsha. Yang met Mao there and participated in the institute.
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