In the 1920’s while China was fragmented and there were many different groups vying for control the new Chinese Communist Part was being completely controlled by the Russians. They contributed all the money and directed all the actions made by the Party and the military groups of the Party. Chou En-lai was often in Moscow to receive these orders and Mao Tse-Tung was a minor ‘bandit’ who was doing his best to gain an army and power. When they were first in a Communist group together Chou was the superior to Mao.

(Book – Mao: The Unknown Story – Jung Chang and Jon Halliday)