Chairman Mao's female impersonator lets curse fill purse

Chen Yan was once a businesswoman. Now, she spends her days impersonating the Great Helmsman.

The 57-year-old Sichuan native earns a living with silent, 40-minute performances, in which she switches between waving to crowds, like Mao Zedong once did at Tiananmen Gate, and smoking and staring solemnly into the distance as if contemplating the future of the nation.

Profiled by the mainland's People magazine, Chen is one of numerous Mao impersonators working in the country.

It was not easy growing up looking like the late chairman, who passed away when Chen was in her twenties. In a 2007 interview, she tearfully recalled how she was mocked as a child.

In 2006, she finally embraced her appearance and mustered up the courage to participate in a show on Southeast Television in Fujian province.

A woman impersonating Mao was still too controversial at the time. But she was allowed her to impersonate Tang Guoqiang, an actor known for playing Mao.