At the opening ceremony of a farmer's market in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, Mao Zedong, Chou Enlai, Chen Yi, and other former Chinese leaders are in attendance. All of them are impersonations done by laid-off workers in this important industrial center in China.

Wang Dong, 58, became the chief organizer of the troupe after being laid off from a ballast factory in Shenyang. He has been playing the role of late premier Chou Enlai for ten years. "I love premier Chou deeply, and I will try my best to do a good performance,'' said Wang Dong, who can make hundreds of yuan for each performance.

Li Guangqi, 52, who plays Chairman Mao Zedong, has had a hard life since he was laid off from a valves factory. Li and his wife divorced and he now lives in an old building in a rural area. He has collected a lot of Mao's pictures in his small room. To make a living, he also sells telephone cards and insurance.

The troupe has performed in many cities, such as Beijing and Yan'an in Shaanxi Province. The troupe usually plays three or four times a month, sometimes even for wedding ceremonies or birthday parties.

[Wang Yishu/ Southern Weekend]

 Performance in front of a farmer's market in Shenyang.