One thing that I’ve found to be really interesting during my time in China is the way that the Chinese respect Mao Zedong so much. In high school history class I was taught about Mao Zedong leading the communist party in China and everything he did during the Cultural Revolution to the Chinese people. To me, some of the things that he did during his time in power were harsh and harmful to the Chinese, but I have noticed that the Chinese do not view him in the same light. In Tian’anmen Square there is still a huge picture of Mao hanging that so many people from all over China come to see. Inside the square, vendors sell copies of Mao Zedong’s Little Red Book and hats with the red star on them. To me it was surprising to see Chinese being proud of that political past because of how I was taught about it in school. Practically everywhere we have gone in China, there has been different Mao merchandise, from playing cards and calendars to tee shirts. All of the merchandise shows Mao being happy and doing good for the country of China which, although is normal for the Chinese, seems ironic to me and my classmates. Regardless of our political opinion of Mao, some of us have certainly found entertainment in his glorification all over the country by taking “selfies” with pictures of him and even purchasing Mao themed playing cards.