Correct answer: D. Mao Zedong
Explanation: The direct answer is D, Mao Zedong. In 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution and the victory of the Communist forces, Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China from Beijing. The fact chain is: Communist victory in China → Mao became the leading figure → proclamation of the People's Republic on 1 October 1949. Option A, Sun Yat-sen, was an important revolutionary and is associated with the 1911 Revolution and the founding of the Republic of China, not the 1949 proclamation. Option B, Chiang Kai-shek, led the Nationalists and moved to Taiwan after losing the mainland; he did not proclaim the People's Republic. Option C, Toussaint Louverture, was connected with the Haitian Revolution, not China. Option D is correct because Mao made the 1949 proclamation. Memory cue: 1949—Mao—People's Republic of China.