Claim: Mao Zedong was a political leader.
Evidence: He was succeeded as Paramount leader by Hua Guofeng -LRB- 1976 -- 1978 -RRB- , who was quickly sidelined and replaced by Deng.
In modern Chinese politics , the paramount leader -LRB- , , Zuìgāo lǐngdǎo rén -RRB- of the Communist Party of China and the State is an informal term that refers to the most prominent political leader in the People 's Republic of China.