Mao's legacy lives on

He was de-deified at the end of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), but Mao Zedong continues to be worshipped in some remote parts of China. Wang Jiaquan and Li Huaiyan from Xinhua report.

In the largely Buddhist hamlet of Man'en, New China's founder Mao Zedong is a god as revered as any other. Most of the ethnic Dai villagers keep a small shrine of Mao in their homes, despite the "great helmsman" being de-deified after the end of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

A large portrait of Chairman Mao hangs in the living room of Ai Pa, with a smaller image of a senior Myanmar monk by its side. This arrangement was a suggestion from the Buddhist clergyman, who presided over a prayer service for Ai Pa's new house in 2000.