Communism alive and well in Chinese village

0 Comments | AFP, February, 2008

NANJIE, China (AFP) — In Nanjie, every day is a "red" day.

Villagers awaken to the strains of a classic tune honouring the country's late leader: "The east is red, the sun is rising. China has brought forth a Mao Zedong."

In the early morning light, cyclists head to "Red East" square, inaugurated in 1993 to mark the centenary of Mao's birth. A white marble statue of the Great Helmsman, watched over by two young guards, dominates the plaza.

Giant portraits of the heroes of communism -- Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin -- adorn the square. Dozens of red flags wave in the wind.

"Nanjie is rather special," says 40-year-old resident Chen Xinjian.

Although more than 30 years have passed since the death of Mao, time seems to have stopped in Nanjie, a...