Bu Yiran, a stylish 38-year-old with her hair dyed brown, delicate makeup, well-tailored clothes and high heels, belongs to the new generation of Mao Zedong's followers.

Not for her are the multi-functional blue workers suits or green military outfits.

"I love Mao," she says briskly, "but that does not contradict my love for American movies, bars and cafes."

To the young college teacher, born on the eve of the "Cultural Revolution" a 10-year movement initiated by Mao in 1966 that fostered cult-like admiration for himself, the late Chinese leader is full of charisma and wisdom.

"When I was a little girl, my father used to tell me about Mao' s life stories, poetry and calligraphy. In those days Mao was the god in my heart and was dearer than anyone else, even my parents, " says Bu.

Bu says she felt "the world was falling apart" when she heard of Mao's death in 1976. "I was in primary school then, and could not understand how a 'god' could ever die."

But the world did not fall apart. Within two years, China had ushered in an age of reform and opening up, a move that has brought about eye-catching changes to the world's most populous nation.

Today, Bu Yiran teaches Maoism, the life experience and thought of Mao Zedong, at Northeast China University of Finance and Economics, a prestigious business school based in the seaside city of Dalian, northeastern Liaoning Province.

As a faculty member of the social sciences department, she also teaches courses like "Christianity and traditional Chinese culture " and is interested in Western art and culture.

Bu and her father still love Mao. "My father never complained about the unfair treatment he and many other intellectuals received during the Cultural Revolution," says Bu. "He says we should not blame Mao alone for the mistakes and grievances of a past time."

Bu's job is not easy, as her students, born in the 1980s, know so little about the late leader. "They learn bits and pieces about Mao from books and their parents, sometimes disfigured with subjective comments," she says. "Some students are skeptical about Mao's thought and even Mao himself."

As a teacher, Bu says she was responsible for telling the truth about Mao Zedong and his thought to the young students.

"Mao and his thought are by no means obsolete in today's society. They are still instructive in our social and economic life," she says.

Instead of spoon-feeding the students with boring theories, Bu tries to make her classes interesting by picking examples from day- to-day life.

When she told the students about Mao's guiding principles for cultural work + which Mao said should be of characteristic of the nation, truth bearing and designed for the masses + she asked the students which of the countless evening parties hosted by China's central and local televisions met all three requirements.

"The Spring Festival evening party by CCTV," the students said unanimously, convinced of what their teacher was trying to tell.

Over the past two decades, the annual CCTV party featuring classical as well as modern art has always had the magic to keep an entire family in front of the television on the eve of the traditional Chinese holiday.

The students described Bu's classes as "vivid, touching and full of passion".

"She has mingled her personal ideas in her class, but never forced us to accept everything," says a girl in Bu's class.

Bu says she could not conceal her pride when her students started to read Mao's biographies, masterpieces and poems after class.

An avid reader, Bu herself reads a lot about Mao and China's modern history. "I was very much impressed with a bestseller about Mao and the Long March I read in college," says Bu. "It made me feel that Mao was not a god, but a great man with charisma, wisdom and emotion."

Consciously or subconsciously, Bu always quotes Mao in her daily life. "He knew how to convey clear messages and raise morale in concise words."

Bu is not a high earner, but she enjoys her job and life. "Mao used to say we should proceed from facts and act according to the actual circumstances," she says. "In today's word, it means we should learn to give up unrealistic wishes."

This is also how she has taught her 10-year-old daughter, who enjoys Bu's stories about Mao and would polish the frame with Mao' s photo on her mother's desk every day, to "be happy and enjoy being what you are".

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