So Long Chairman Mao

So Long Chairman Mao

That's one big statue of him in his hometown. It is erected in the Hunan province of ShaoShan. Not too fr away from Chang Sha. That day was his birthday anniversary. Tons of people had come to et off fireworks and some even pretended to be him and walk around shaking people's hand.

Regarded as one of the most important figures in modern world history, Mao is still a controversial figure today, over thirty years after his death. He is held in high regard in China where he is often portrayed as a great revolutionary and strategist who eventually defeated Chiang Kai-shek in the Chinese Civil War, and transformed the country into a major power through his Maoist policies. However, many of Mao's socio-political programs such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution are blamed by critics from both within and outside China for causing severe damage to the culture, society, economy and foreign relations of China, as well as enormous and unnecessary loss of lives, a peacetime death toll in the tens of millions.
Although still officially venerated in China, his influence has been largely overshadowed by the political and economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping and other leaders since his death.

(courtesy of wikipedia.com)