Abstract: From the perspectives of subject orientation and domain orientation of the essence of freedom,Mao Zedong had deeply thought about the core issue of the view of freedom,that is,the essence of freedom,and had put forward his unique view that “freedom is the recognition of inevitability and the transformation of the object world”.Logically,Mao’s view of the essence of freedom is represented in three aspects:freedom is the combination of recognition of inevitability and the transformation of the object world;the transformation of the world overweighs the recognition of inevitability;and the effect of transforming the world overweighs transforming the world.Back to Mao’s era,the major content of freedom was just what he had stressed:national independence,national autonomy and the people's liberation.

Key words: Mao Zedong, freedom, essence, transforming the world