“The unspoken thought when Chairman’s Mao grandson was appointed as China’s youngest ever major-general last week was that revolutionary heritage had triumphed over martial prowess.” From the Telegraph:
Now Mao Xinyu, 40, has confirmed that nepotism played its part in his appointment, admitting to a popular Chinese website that his family background was “definitely a factor” in the decision to add a second star to his epaulettes.
Despite inflicting famine and the political upheaval of the Cultural Revolution 1966-1976 on China, at a cost of millions of lives, Mao Tse-tung remains an iconic figure in China, his eerily serene features smiling out of banknotes and the famed portrait in Tiananmen Square.
It is this enduring respect for his grandfather that was reflected in the promotion, said Mao, who is a military historian at the Academy of Military Sciences and a fervent defender of his grandfather’s legacy.
“I feel it among my friends and colleagues in the army, everyone has this sense. All the people take their love and respect for Mao Zedong and transfer it onto my person. Definitely this is a factor,” Mao told NetEase.com.
