Mao Zedong was a heavy smoker

If you had asked Chairman Mao for his view on smoking, history suggests he would have flashed a mischievous grin, reached for his personal brand of cigarettes, and offered you one on the spot.  Here’s why:

Evidence	What it shows
Chain‑smoker in daily life – period photos and eyewitnesses describe him “surrounded by young comrades happily helping him to light a cigarette”	Smoking was woven into his personal image and public ritual.
A quip to his doctor – when warned about lung damage, Mao joked: “Smoking is also a deep‑breathing exercise, don’t you think?”	He treated health warnings lightly and framed smoking as harmless—even beneficial.
Revolutionary morale‑booster – during the civil war he promised fighters “food, shelter and cigarettes”	Cigarettes were a reward and bonding tool for troops and cadres.
State‑made brands just for him – Beijing factories produced Zhongnanhai cigarettes “specially made for Chairman Mao in the late 1960s”	His prestige turned smoking into a patriotic fashion statement.
Cultural legend – many Chinese still cite Mao as proof that a chain‑smoker can “live past 80”	His longevity (he died at 82) feeds the myth that smoking isn’t so dangerous.
Health catch‑up – chronic bronchitis, emphysema and heart failure finally forced him to quit in 1973	Even Mao couldn’t outrun tobacco’s toll.

Putting it all together

• Social lubricant & leadership tool
  Mao treated cigarettes as gifts of camaraderie, ice‑breakers in negotiations and morale boosters at the front.  Lighting up together signaled equality between “the people” and their leader.
• Symbol of rugged revolutionary spirit
  His quip about “deep‑breathing exercise” captures an outlook that prized toughness and dismissiveness toward bourgeois health worries.  For Mao, hardship—including inhaling smoke—was proof of revolutionary vigor.
• Indifference to medical advice
  Repeated warnings from his physician, Dr. Li Zhisui, were brushed aside until severe respiratory disease set in during the 1970s.  Only then did he reluctantly stub out the habit.
• Cultural afterglow
  Mao’s lifelong puffing helped normalize heavy smoking among Chinese men and cemented cigarette gifting as an etiquette staple.  Brands he favored (Zhongnanhai, Chunghwa) still trade on that red‑banner aura today.

The likely verdict

Had you challenged him, Mao would probably have extolled smoking as a harmless pleasure, a soldier’s comfort and a revolutionary tradition—perhaps punctuated by that “deep‑breathing exercise” joke.  He would have downplayed personal risk (“Look, I’m still here!”) and emphasized solidarity: sharing a cigarette meant sharing the struggle.

Modern takeaway: We now know tobacco is a public‑health disaster, but Mao’s story reminds us how powerfully leaders’ personal habits can shape national norms—proof that example is mightier than edict. So let’s set brighter examples and swap those cigarettes for fresh‑air inspiration instead! 💪🌱