Mao was born on 17 January 1970 at People's Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing.

He is a researcher at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Sciences, where he completed his doctorate.

"To have such an unqualified person become a general in China's military, it's an insult to the People's Liberation Army," said Pu Zhiqiang, a lawyer and human rights activist.

[6] By contrast, Bao Goujin, a spokesman for the Academy of Military Sciences, said "he is a natural elevation.

But now, only by transforming them back into real people can they be understood and accepted by the public, who will then want to learn from them.