Shaoshan, Hunan, China: President Asif Ali Zardari visited Shaoshan, the hometown of Chairman Mao Zedong, where he laid a wreath at the statue of Chairman Mao at Statue Square and paid tribute to China’s revolutionary leader.
According to Pakistan Peoples Party, the President was received by Mr Li Jiyang, Senior party leader of Xiangtan People’s Congress, and Ms Zhang Xihui, Director of the Shaoshan Administration Bureau of Hunan Province. They provided him with details about the life and struggle of Chairman Mao Zedong, including his early years in Shaoshan and the influences that shaped his political thought.
The President was briefed on the role of the memorial institutions in preserving historical material and promoting public understanding of China’s revolutionary history. Following the wreath-laying ceremony, he visited the Mao Zedong Memorial Museum, where he was informed about the life, thought, and political legacy of the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China. He viewed historical artefacts, archival material, and exhibits documenting key phases of China’s revolutionary history.
President Zardari paid tribute to Chairman Mao Zedong’s role in China’s historical transformation and acknowledged his contribution to the country’s struggle, unity, and development. He noted that preserving such sites offers insight into the forces that shaped modern China and underscores the importance of historical memory in national progress.
The President was accompanied by several officials including Senator Saleem Mandviwalla; Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, Ali Hassan Brohi; Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister of Sindh for Investment and Public-Private Partnership Projects; Chief Secretary Sindh; China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zaidong; and Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi.