This photo was taken last summer in Changsha. A city of millions in central China.

This is a statue of a young Mao Zedong that was recently built on Orange Island which lays in the middle of the river Xiang that divides the city.

Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was the founder of the People's Republic of China and its 'great leader'. He is admired throughout China and features on almost all Yuan bills. He was not perfect however and his failed policies such as The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution led to the death of millions of people.

Under Mao's leadership China's population almost doubled and he turned China from a weak country controlled by foreign powers into a strong sovereign state. Mao laid the foundation for China's rise to global dominance which we are witnessing right now. You might want to consider learning some 汉语. 

Originally posted on Instagram on March 18, 2021