Comrade Mao’s Grandson set up for the Mission

- Melsam Ojha
Mao Xinyu, the 38-year-old sole grandson of Comrade Mao, is set on the mission to become the dean of China's first undergraduate university department dedicated to the study of Mao Zedong thought.
"Unlike other people, I feel that I have a special historical responsibility and mission," Mr Mao told the People's Daily, a state newspaper. "Young people should learn more about the history of the Communist Party of China, so as to better understand the development of our mother country. Also Comrade Mao philosophy is applicable to a wide range from politics to management," he added.
Songtian University had applied for permission to the Ministry of Education in 2008 for founding the new department, and enrolment is expected to begin this year.
The establishment of specific department is a new step to organize the nationalistic youth. Qin Juanying, vice chairman of Songtian University, said the department would "play a role in modern development and promote the Mao spirit". Similarly, maoflag.net has been logged onto and the government has also issued coins made of gold and jade.
The name of Mao Xinyu was given by his grandfather. Xinyu stands for “New Universe”. He is the son of Mao Anqing, whose mother, Mao's second wife, was abandoned and then beheaded by He Jian, a local warlord. Mao Anqing and his two brothers escaped to Shanghai and spent some time living rough on the streets.
Mr Mao is currently the vice-director of the war theory and strategic research department of the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Science. He is also a senior Communist Party member and his mother, Shao Hua, was a former chairman of Songtian University.
Mao Zedong Thought is commonly thought of as the application of Marxist-Leninist ideology to the practical circumstances of the Chinese revolution.