Beijing: In a rare move, Chinese President Xi Jinping today acknowledged that ‘Chairman' Mao Zedong made “mistakes” but asked people to adopt a “correct” historical view to judge a revolutionary figure, who had changed the face of the nation.
Mao, a controversial figure in Chinese history due to some of his disastrous policies like the ‘Great Leap Forward', should be appraised correctly, Xi, also general secretary of the ruling CPC Central Committee, said as China celebrated the 120th birth anniversary of the founding father.
Mao still commands reverence among many Chinese but is also despised by critics who say his disastrous political and economic campaigns led to tens of millions of deaths.
“Mao is a great figure who changed the face of the nation and led the Chinese people to a new destiny,” Xi said at a symposium held by the CPC here.
