Statues of Mao, prominent marshals demolished for ‘bad social impact’

A builder demolished statues of Chinese marshals, as well as a statue of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong in a memorial in Central China’s Henan Province, a local official said, after the statues received numerous complaints from villagers who said they were ugly and “damaged the leaders’ image.”

“The villager who built a memorial, which housed the statues of Mao and 10 Chinese marshals, demolished them after realizing the statues were inappropriate,” an official surnamed Wang from the local government of Liji township in Henan Province told the Global Times on Thursday.

“The statues were so poorly built that they made people feel uncomfortable. They were a bad influence,” Wang said.

Photos of the demolished statues were first posted on a WeChat article on Wednesday, where the statues appeared to be dressed in poorly designed blue uniforms with red epaulets and collars.

Photos also showed the heavy damage of the statues.

“The demolition attracted villagers who burst into tears after seeing the scene in the memorial,” the article said.

“Whoever damaged the statues must be the enemy of the people,” the author wrote in the article.

The author also accused the move as collusion with imperialists to provoke China.

“The statues were dismantled after the local government received reports from the public, and the memorial builder tore down the statues himself,” Wang said.

Some villagers were also conducting superstitious activities inside the memorial, she said.

The publicity department of Yancheng district, which administers Liji, could not be reached for comment as of press time.