A university campus has erected China's tallest statue of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, state press reported Sunday. The 20-metre high (66-feet) stainless steel statue was unveiled at Chongqing Medical University in honour of the man who established the People's Republic in 1949, the Beijing Morning Post said.
"To set up statues of Mao Zedong has been a university campus tradition for decades," the paper quoted a spokesman as saying in the south-west city. "The purpose of the statue is to encourage and give confidence to our teachers and to instill national character and patriotism in our students."
If the base of the 46-tonne statue is included, the entire structure measures over 34 metres tall and can be seen from five kilometres away, the report said.