Mausoleum of Mao Zedong should be included in UNESCO World Heritage List, experts say

Beijing. Jul 18. Silkroadnews - Experts insist, the inclusion of the mausoleum of Chairman Mao in the list of the World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO is “self-evident” and “justified”, Global Times writes.
“The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is a historic cultural symbol,” said Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
The symbol of the memory of Mao Zedong is of historical significance, as Mao is the founder of the People’s Republic of China and represents the Three Worlds Theory. Su also points out, Mao is highly respected on the international stage.
Remarks by Su came after the Western media questioned the mausoleum inclusion in the list. They wrote that places such as Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and Tiananmen Square are “controversial” and do not have significant historical and cultural significance compared to other sites, such like the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.
Now the specialists are preparing the files and documents on the history of the mausoleum to be submitted within the application to UNESCO.
“Mao founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 after guiding the Communist Party of China to victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the War of Liberation (1946-49). He also launched political and economic campaigns like the Great Leap Forward (1958-61) and Cultural Revolution (1966-76), which many people consider controversial. Mao died in the year of 1976,” the publication reads.
The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was built in 1976 in Tiananmen Square, where the central axis of the city runs through.
Visitors can see Mao’s embalmed body every day, except Monday.
Beijing is preparing a list of 14 cultural heritage sites along the central axis of the city to meet the criteria for an application for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The application is planned to be submitted by 2030, and to enter the list of the world cultural heritage by 2035.
The 14 cultural heritage sites include Yongdingmen (the main southern gate of the city), the Temple of Agriculture (Xiannongtan), the Temple of Heaven, Zhengyangmen and the archery tower, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Tiananmen Square.