Family furious at Mao books

A RELATIVE of late Mao Zedong has hit out at unofficial biographers who she said fabricated stories about the Great Helmsman.

Ms Shao Hua, wife of Mao's second son Mao Anqing, said she and her family were annoyed by the growing number of publications which took advantage of the current ''Mao Zedong fever'' in the wake of the late leader's 100th birthday.

''Historic accounts of Mao Zedong should observe the principle of seeking truth from facts instead of believing in hearsay, fabricating stories, and distorting the truth,'' she said.

Ms Shao, a researcher at the Military Science Academy of the People's Liberation Army, is in Beijing attending the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference meeting.

In an interview with the China News Service, Ms Shao especially singled out a book, The Son of Mao Zedong, Mao Anlong, for attack.

''The content of the book is totally inconsistent with facts, and the writers deliberately distorted and vilified the image of Mao Zedong, resulting in very bad impact in society,'' said Ms Shao.

She said it was obvious the writers were imposters, as Mao Anlong had died at a young age.