The point is, the Chinese PEOPLE chose the communist leaders over Chiang. Remember, Mao had more popular support than Chiang and that's why the civil war was won by the Communists. You can't win over a country unless YOU have more popular support, whether you're in a totalitarian regime or not.
And you can also blame that on the Japs who invaded China. If the Japanese didn't invade China, Mao would have been easily defeated. Mao strength grows because of how savage the Japanese were on the CHinese population (i.e. the whole country went extremely poor and poor countries supports communism far more than wealthier countries).
You're clueless in your beliefs. Communists are brutal, but nowhere near the intensity as the Jap soldiers. We're talking about orders to execute, rape, bayonet BABIES out of pregnant women from top of the echelon, not some soldiers getting out of wack, but the LEADERS in Japan.