China: Villagers erect giant gold Mao statue

The legacy of Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People’s Republic of China, looms large over the country’s politics and society.

And now for some villagers in rural Henan province, he’s an even more tangible presence – in the form of a giant gold statue.

Businessmen and some rural communities have chipped in nearly 3 million yuan ($459,000) to build the conspicuous tribute, according to Chinese state media.

It is reportedly constructed of steel and concrete, and painted gold. It was completed in December.

Seated amongst scrubby farmland, the 36.6 meter (120 ft)-tall statue has garnered its fair share of compliments – and criticism – on Chinese social media.

Users of China’s popular microblogging service Weibo appeared divided over the statue, with user shenqilei saying, “This is so embarrassing!,” while beijiyisuoqianban took a more patriotic tack, saying: “Long live Chairman Mao!”

User MCULM added: “They can do whatever they want with their own money. It is worth commending if they built a statue of their ancestors. But if the money was from the public pocket, a thorough investigation is needed.”

Insensitive location?

The location of the statue itself is not without controversy.

According to author Yang Jisheng, Henan province was one of the areas hardest hit by the famines of the 1950s and 60s, which were brought about by Mao’s disastrous “Great Leap Forward” economic and social reforms. Millions died as a result of the policies.

Weibo users also picked up on the sensitive location, with Dapancj asking, “have they all forgotten the great famine to build this?”

French master photographer Bruno Barbey of Magnum Photos was one of a handful of foreign journalists allowed into China during the Cultural Revolution -- and one of the only ones to shoot in color.

Unlike most photojournalists of the era, who still shot in black-and-white, Barbey was already working with color film. But any kind of photography was a rarity in China, where Chairman Mao Zedong's Red Guards went from house to house destroying cameras and photographs, which were considered a mark of the bourgeoisie.

Although Barbey, a Frenchman, was accompanied by a guard on his first visit, he was allowed to capture frank scenes of ordinary life. "I don't think they could hide scenes of poverty and suffering," he told CNN. "Because when you walk in the Shanghai streets, what can you do? They could not censor it."

On a whim, the photographer asked to see an army camp and to his surprise, was given access. "They were very, very well-trained people, doing traditional kung-fu," he said.

A vivid highlight of the trip was meeting Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, Mao's right-hand man and chief diplomat. "He spoke a little French," recalled Barbey.

Barbey also captured this unguarded moment of Zhou. "He's not reading a speech, he's looking at the menu, and you can see on his face he's quite happy about what he's about to have for dinner."

This was Mao's wife, Jiang Qing. "At the time she was the only woman dressed in a Western style, that she herself designed," explained Barbey. "Anyone else could not do such a thing."

"I just try to photograph things as they are, I don't like to manipulate the situation, I don't like to set up the picture," Barbey told CNN. "You have people who only like to photography ugly things -- I'm more interested in the beauty of life. I try to respect people, and not to be aggressive."

At the time, the Red Guards were destroying cultural artifacts and historic sites in China. Barbey was able to snap this man sitting on the foot of an ancient statue

The photographer said he dreamed of returning to the 1970s to photograph the scenes again -- with a digital camera. "If I had a digital camera at the time I would've done ten times better. Because you can shoot at night, in low light, there are so many things you can do."

Since his first trip in 1973, Barbey has been back to the country countless times to photograph the country as it changed. "In the 1980s, you could see the access to foreign journalists was easier, you could travel to China freely, and tourism was starting in some cities," he said.

Barbey also traveled to China's western Xinjiang province, home to many of the country's Uyghur minorities.

Today, Barbey continues to photograph in China -- but modernization and pollution have changed the country's visual appearance. "In Shanghai or Beijing, there are some days you nearly cannot see another building through the air," he said.

As a witness to China's rise, the photographer says he hopes his old photos can help young Chinese people understand their history. "They should realize that as a whole, they are very lucky. Their parents in certain moment of their lives suffered a lot."

"China has achieved a fantastic improvement," he said. "Some things still could be improved, the world is not perfect, but today the country is a pleasure to look at compared to what I have seen 30 years ago."

"For me, this picture is important to me," said Barbey. "During the Cultural Revolution, I nearly never saw a couple hand by hand. When they sit in the park, they never put a hand on the shoulder. Today, when i see that I'm very happy -- of course, there are still problems -- but the way they live today, is fantastic."

Rare color photos reveal life in Mao's Communist China

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Regardless of the results of his reforms, Mao, who ruled China until his death in 1976, is widely revered and Maoism has even experienced somewhat of a renaissance in some quarters in recent years.

His home village of Shaoshan has seen an uptick in visiting pilgrims and in 2013, current leader Xi Jinping heaped praise on his predecessor during celebrations marking the 120th anniversary of Mao’s birth.

Statues of Mao dot the country, and his portrait looks down on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

During anniversary celebrations in 2013 a 200 million yuan ($30.6 million), solid gold likeness was installed in pride of place in a memorial hall in Shaoshan.

Of course, it’s not the first giant statue of the Great Helmsman.

The previous largest – at 7.1m (23 ft) – was erected in Gonggar County, Tibet Autonomous Region in 2006.

Read more: Shadow of Mao still lingers over China