THE state guesthouse in Shaoshan, Chairman Mao Zedong's home village in Hunan province, has been turned into a brothel by locals determined to revive the flagging tourist industry in the heart of Chinese communism.
Heavily made-up teenage girls wait at the Shaoshan Hotel's Massage and Beauty Parlour watching guests check into their rooms.
Male guests receive a phone call from reception offering to send up a girl and listing the prices for their services.
Next door at the Shaoshan Guest Entertainment Club, where dozens of girls are available for hire, the owner is equally frank.
'It started about 18 months ago because the economy here is not doing so well,' the middle-aged madam said. 'We thought prostitution would help attract more visitors and generate more money.
'It is run in co-operation with the local police.' The madam said she had contracted out the club premises from the hotel, which is operated by the Shaoshan tourist office.
On a weekday night the hotel dance floor was almost empty, but a few dozen officials in suits sat with scantily clad girls, drinking and listening to karaoke songs.