 Mao Zedong had been born and raised at his father 's farm in Shaoshanchong , a small rural village named for the nearby Shaoshan mountain . His disciplinarian father , Mao Yichang , had decided to deal with Zedong 's rebellious attitude in a manner typical of the time , by forcing him into an arranged marriage that would compel him to take family matters seriously . Yichang also desired a helper for his own wife , Wen Qimei , whose health had deteriorated through years of heavy agricultural labour . He selected Luo Yixiu in either late 1907 or 1908 . Her kinship to the Maos may have helped in this selection , as Luo Yixiu 's mother 's four brothers , surnamed Mao , lived only two li ( 1 km ) from Mao Yichang 's home in Shaoshanchong . Following traditional procedures , a matchmaker would have been sent to the Luo family house , and the Luo family would have been socially expected to accept the marriage proposal immediately . Luo Helou was happy to see his eldest daughter married . The two families exchanged gifts and signed the marriage contract , after which the marriage was considered inviolable . 
