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Games push Mao off note

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Mao Zedong's image has been left off a commemorative Olympic banknote, making the former communist leader the first official loser of this summer's Games.

The new 10-yuan note, which will be issued today, replaces Mao with a sketch of the National Stadium, the central Olympic venue better known as the 'Bird's Nest'.

The blue-green note, which is slightly larger than the conventional 10-yuan note, also features the emblem of the Beijing Olympics and a stylised backdrop of the Temple of Heaven.

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The back of the note depicts an ancient Greek discus thrower in a classical pose accompanied by sketches of modern athletes, including a table-tennis player.

It is the first time Mao's portrait has been dropped from a new full-yuan note since 2000, when the central bank issued a special note depicting a Chinese dragon and the China Millennium Monument.

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Mao's portrait has been a standard feature on all other 1-to-100-yuan notes since the fifth series of banknotes was issued in 1999 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

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