From Boston Globe:
Wearing a soft layered dress and white sandals, the granddaughter of the late Chairman Mao Zedong strolled gracefully one recent afternoon through an exhibit devoted to art work showing the Great Leader. Kong Dongmei surveyed sketches of Mao as a young rebel and a bronze statue of him as an aging but dignified man.
In some respects, it was remarkable that an exhibit about the most controversial figure in modern Chinese history opened the same weekend as the Olympics, without even a visit by a government inspector. Throughout the games, officials have kept a tight rein on cultural displays throughout Beijing.
Kong described having a “warm feeling” looking at the two dozen works at the gallery, a few miles from the Olympic national stadium. She made a point, however, to say she does not support censoring artists who are critical of Mao – other works have depicted him wearing lipstick or submerged in a blood-filled lake.
“We should be more open,” said Kong, who helps run a nearby art gallery. “He’s a complicated person.”
