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Giant Mao statue erected in Tibet
Xinhua [Official news agency of PRC]
The Chinese authorities say they are putting up a huge statue of Chairman
Mao Zedong in Tibet.
The 35-ton memorial is being built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of
the former leader's death.
It is being erected in Gonggar County, near the Tibetan capital Lhasa,
China's state-run news agency Xinhua said.
The statue will rise 7m from a 5m pedestal strengthened to withstand
earthquakes. Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950.
The statue will be the central landmark of Gonggar County's Shangcha square,
which covers about 40,000 sq metres, and is scheduled for completion in
July.
According to the Beijing authorities, the statue of Mao Zedong will be the
largest of its kind in China and the first in Tibet.
Changsha, capital of Hunan province and Mao's hometown, has donated 6.5m
yuan ($811,000; £461,000) towards the cost of the plaza and statue, Xinhua
reported.
"Many Tibetan people suggested we should have a statue of Chairman Mao to
show our gratitude," a local Communist Party official told Xinhua:
Mixed reaction
The BBC's Daniel Griffiths in China says the statue is likely to get a mixed
reaction from many Tibetans.
>From Beijing's perspective, the area has been part of China for centuries.
But for many, the Chinese government is an occupying power which has shown
scant regard for human rights or for Tibet's unique culture, our
correspondent says.
Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950. Nine years later, the region's
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled into exile along with tens of
thousands of his followers after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Since then, China has exerted tight control over the region and this new
statue of Mao Zedong is another reminder of Beijing's influence there, our
correspondent adds.
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World Tibet Network NewsPublished by the Canada Tibet CommitteeMonday, April 17, 2006 |
4. Giant Mao statue erected in Tibet
Xinhua [Official news agency of PRC]
The Chinese authorities say they are putting up a huge statue of Chairman
Mao Zedong in Tibet.
The 35-ton memorial is being built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of
the former leader's death.
It is being erected in Gonggar County, near the Tibetan capital Lhasa,
China's state-run news agency Xinhua said.
The statue will rise 7m from a 5m pedestal strengthened to withstand
earthquakes. Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1950.
The statue will be the central landmark of Gonggar County's Shangcha square,
which covers about 40,000 sq metres, and is scheduled for completion in
July.
According to the Beijing authorities, the statue of Mao Zedong will be the
largest of its kind in China and the first in Tibet.
Changsha, capital of Hunan province and Mao's hometown, has donated 6.5m
yuan ($811,000; £461,000) towards the cost of the plaza and statue, Xinhua
reported.
"Many Tibetan people suggested we should have a statue of Chairman Mao to
show our gratitude," a local Communist Party official told Xinhua:
Mixed reaction
The BBC's Daniel Griffiths in China says the statue is likely to get a mixed
reaction from many Tibetans.
>From Beijing's perspective, the area has been part of China for centuries.
But for many, the Chinese government is an occupying power which has shown
scant regard for human rights or for Tibet's unique culture, our
correspondent says.
Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950. Nine years later, the region's
spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled into exile along with tens of
thousands of his followers after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Since then, China has exerted tight control over the region and this new
statue of Mao Zedong is another reminder of Beijing's influence there, our
correspondent adds.
Articles in this Issue:
- Dalai Lama Enlisted To Change Islam Image
- Dalai Lama Pleads for Defending Islam
- Islam is a religion of compassion: Dalai Lama
- Giant Mao statue erected in Tibet
- Dalai Lama's Tibet visit likely in July
- Dalai Lama has message of learning
- Fake Tibetan Medicine May Cause Serious Legal Problems
- Don't protest Hu's US visit'
- Seattle Tibetans Not to Demonstrate Hu's Visit
- China's leader to visit Seattle Hu likely will see protests, adulation during Seattle visit
- Hu Jintao grant Tibet's independence
- JUST LISTEN TO KASHAG
- White House Out to Lunch With China Hu Jintao is anxious to please, but the U.S. remains aloof
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