Mao Zedong may be the most famous face in the mainland, but the makers of souvenirs that bear his image have been struggling to get it right.
In the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, officials in his home province of Hunan have announced a campaign to improve the standard of Chairman Mao souvenirs.
The items, ranging from portraits, busts and watches to cigarette lighters, were best-sellers among the 3.6 million people visiting his birthplace in Shaoshan last year.
But authorities said inferior souvenirs, often sold by street vendors, distorted his face or got his body ratio out of proportion and were ruining the chairman's image.
Lifelikeness should be the first quality vendors should get right in portraits 'to show our respect to a great man and responsibility to history', said an unnamed official from the provincial quality and inspection watchdog on Hunan news website, Rednet.cn.
Raw materials for the former leader's souvenirs would also be required to meet certain standards, the report said. Authorities expected a new guideline for all souvenir manufacturers in Hunan to be implemented by the end of this year.
