Massive crowd celebrates 130th anniversary of Chairman Mao Zedong's birth
At 6 am on Tuesday, villagers and tourists ate noodles symbolizing happiness and longevity to commemorate the special occasion.
Mao Chunshan, Party secretary of Shaoshan village, said that people express their gratitude to Chairman Mao by eating a bowl of noodles.
The tradition of eating noodles around Mao Zedong's birthday has been observed in Shaoshan for many years, according to Mao Chunshan.
"Chairman Mao changed China and made it more prosperous, but he had lived a very frugal life and often just ate a bowl of noodles on his birthday. He also said that celebrating one's birthday would not make a person live long, and he needed to use his time to serve the people," Mao Chunshan said.
He added that the late leader's morality and spirit will always educate and inspire generations of Chinese people.
Many tourists also bowed three times to the statue of Mao at Mao Zedong Square on Tuesday to express their deep feelings and gratitude.
