Lin Biao Flees China

Date: September 13, 1971 • Location: Undurkhaan, Mongolia

Chairman Mao Zedong's second in command and successor Marshal Lin Biao flees China after the failure of an alleged coup. His plane crashes in Mongolia, killing all aboard.

Mao Zedong was a Chinese communist revolutionary, political theorist and the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC). He served as China's paramount leader from 1949 until his death in 1976 primarily through his role as the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Mao Zedong Thought, which he advocated as a Chinese adaptation of Marxism–Leninism, influenced movements and Maoist organizations worldwide.