The Great Leap Forward Leader was Mao, a three-letter word. Mao Zedong was the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1949 until his death in 1976. He was a revolutionary leader who led the People's Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death. He is known for initiating the Great Leap Forward, an economic and social campaign that aimed to rapidly transform China from an agrarian economy into a modern communist society.