A man for all seasons

"The more I learn about modern revolutionary history, the better I can accurately interpret Chairman Mao," he adds.

For example, Tang recalls his first glimpse of Mao's profile photo snapped by American journalist Edgar Snow during his 1936 visit to Yan'an in Shaanxi province, then the revolutionary base for the Communist Party of China.

"You can see a feeling of melancholy in Mao's eyes but you can also sense that he was quite confident about China's future. In different works created in different periods, you can see Mao's transformation. If I hadn't done enough research to know all of these stages, I wouldn't have dared to play him," says Tang.

In some of his works, the historical incidents overlapped, such as in the TV series Diplomatic Situation which covers 1948 to 1972, and the film Mao Zedong 1949, which is set at the dawn of the founding of New China.

Directed by Song Yeming, the 48-episode TV drama offers viewers a panoramic retrospective of New China's diplomacy in the early decades, and chronicles the Party-led efforts to restore and enhance China's status on the international stage and establish relations with more than 180 countries.

Opening with John Leighton Stuart-the former US ambassador to China-looking to secure a meeting with premier Zhou Enlai on the eve of the Kuomintang defeat, the plot-driven drama unfolds through a number of historical incidents told through a tense narrative.

Standout scenes include the 1954 Geneva Conference, marking New China's debut on the international stage; to Zhou's state visit to 10 countries in Africa between December 1963 and February 1964; and former US president Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972, which opened a new chapter in Sino-US relations.

Produced in around three years, the TV drama was shot in Beijing, Yantai in Shandong province, Dalian in Liaoning province and several locations in Hainan province, as well as other countries including Russia, France, Switzerland and the United States.