Loyal to Mao's legacy, China's princelings have high hopes for fellow 'red descendant' Xi
Children of revolutionary leaders persecuted under rule of Communist Party head say his legacy outweighs violence and political turmoil
As the Communist Party prepares to commemorate the 120th anniversary of chairman Mao Zedong's birth on Thursday, sons and daughters of communist leaders who at times suffered under his rule have defended his record and praised his legacy.
Chen Xiaolu , the 67-year-old son of Chen Yi , a founding military commander in the People's Republic who was criticised during the violence and political upheavals of the Cultural Revolution, said that despite Mao's errors he still considered him a great leader.
"Before the Cultural Revolution, Mao was a godlike figure to us,'' said Chen. "Whenever we saw him at Tiananmen, we couldn't help but cheer and be moved by him.
"After the Cultural Revolution we had time to reflect and realise he had erred, but there's a saying that after the revolution, 'Mao walked down from heaven'."
Chen, like many of the "red second generation" whose parents were party elders, said China's unprecedented growth over the past few decades would not have happened without the founding of the People's Republic under Mao.
Political persecutions and the millions who died in a famine during the drive to industrialise during the Great Leap Forward in the 1950s were a cause for sadness, but Mao's legacy as the father of the nation was assured, they said.