Hunan Province in central China launched a special campaign Saturday to restore the original appearance of Shaoshan City, hometown of China's late Chairman Mao Zedong, to prepare for the 110th anniversary of Mao's birth on Dec. 26.
Though the date is still months away, officials decided to restore the simple look of Mao's hometown at an early date.
"The original rural landscape of Chairman Mao's birthplace will be restored by the autumn," said Yan Xiaomei, vice mayor of Shaoshan.
Yan said the sprucing-up efforts would recreate the sober appearance and weaken the commercial atmosphere.
All homes, souvenir stalls, banks, post offices, bookstores and hotels within a radius of 1,000 meters around the bronze statue in Mao Zedong Square would be removed and relocated by Aug. 1, Yan said.
Fifty-four million yuan (US$6.5 million) has been allocated to compensate for the demolition of 54,000 square meters of buildings by the city council for the renovation.
Lured by the charisma of late Chairman Mao Zedong, increasing numbers of tourists are making the pilgrimage to his hometown.
However, the mushrooming of tourism has also damaged the original appearance of the city.
Born the son of an affluent peasant on Dec. 26, 1893, Mao became the most influential figure in modern China during his 83 years.
As a representative of Hunan, Mao was among the 13 deputies present at the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China in the summer of 1921 in Shanghai, which marked the founding of the Party.
On Oct. 1, 1949, Mao solemnly proclaimed to the world the founding of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China.
He died on Sept. 9, 1976.
(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2003)
