Huge gathering shows support for legacy: observer
Thousands of people across China gathered at Shaoshan in Central China's Hunan Province to commemorate the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong on Saturday, the 122nd anniversary of his birth.
Mao, one of the most influential figures in China's modern history, was born in Shaoshan, Hunan on December 26, 1893.
Local authorities held a wreath-laying ceremony and a running competition to mark the anniversary of his birth. According to China News Service, hundreds of thousands of local residents convened at the square in Shaoshan on Friday and presented bouquets before Mao's statue while singing the song "The East Is Red." Large numbers of visitors also came to Shaoshan early on Saturday morning to pay their respects to Mao.
Viral photos posted online showed admirers holding photos of Mao and carrying red flags bearing Maoist slogans.
A 39-year-old Mao admirer surnamed Xia from Jingzhou in Central China's Hubei Province told the Global Times on Sunday that he has come to Shaoshan several times since 1996 to commemorate Mao, whom he adores and misses.
"He is a savior of the Chinese people," Xia said, adding that he cherishes the simple ethos of the society of the past.
"There were more young people and red flags at the site this time," he said.
Lin Minjie, president of the Hong Kong Society of Mao Zedong Thought, an NGO established in 2013 to study and spread Mao's thought and promote social development in Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Sunday that his association also went to Shaoshan to commemorate Mao on Saturday.
Lin said that his mission is to counter what he sees as an anti-communist trend in Hong Kong by spreading Mao's thought in Hong Kong and supporting socialism there.
"The grand gathering showed Chinese people's approval of Mao's and other revolutionaries' historic contributions to China," celebrity commentator Sima Nan told the Global Times on Sunday.
"It also reflects people's willingness to rehabilitate Mao from the false accusations made against him over the past 30 years," Sima pointed out.
Sima added that the presence of large numbers of admirers in Shao-
shan also demonstrated people's appreciation for the life of equality and justice experienced in Mao's time.
Several of Mao's relatives, including his grandson Mao Xinyu and Mao Xinyu's family, came to Shaoshan's Chairman Mao Memorial Hall to commemorate him on Saturday.
Other regions also carried out additional memorial ceremonies honoring Mao.
A library in Hefei, Anhui Province, came together with a local media company and calligraphy association to offer local residents free DVDs featuring stories from Mao's life.
Authorities in Northwest China's Gansu Province also held activities to recall memories of difficult times and to spread the revolutionary spirit, media reported.
?
