Photos of a huge golden statue commemorating China's founding father have been circulating the web. The statue, which stands nearly 37 meters high, is a golden-colored tribute to Chairman Mao Zedong (or Mao Tse-tung). The gigantic tribute stands in the middle of a plot of farmland located in Tongxu County near Kaifeng city in Henan Province.

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The statue, also called mega-Mao, reportedly costs about 3 billion yuan. It was built from steel and concrete, and then painted with gold-colored paint. Its construction began in March last year, and was completed mid-December, thanks to the efforts of business people, farmers and local villagers, reports the Guardian.

The Mao Zedong Research Center's dean, Liu Jianwu, said that the statue has been designed to commemorate China's Great Helmsman, adding that the former leader represents an embodiment of fairness and justice.

“In the hearts of ordinary people, Mao represents fairness and justice,” Liu said, explaining why people have this sort of emotion towards the Chinese leader.

Despite the care and effort given to create a representation of Chairman Mao, some critics have made negative comments about the statue.

“It doesn’t look like Chairman Mao,” joked a Weibo user named @Xinjiangkankan. “I guess it’s someone from the village.”

Another user criticized the effort, and wrote on Weibo that the funds used in building the statue should have been used in alleviating poverty instead.

Other online critics question the logic behind installing the statue in Henan, as history records show that Henan province was hit the hardest by the famine that resulted from Mao's Great Leap Forward.

Nevertheless, the former leader continues to be esteemed by people in China. Back in 2009, China celebrated Mao's 115 th birthday by unveiling a 32 meter-high bust that depicted him during his youth.

Then in 2013, president Xi Jinping promised to hold Chairman Mao's banner higher.

“Mao is a great figure who changed the face of the nation and led the Chinese people to a new destiny,” Xi said.

TagsMao Zedong, Great Helmsman, gold statue, mega-Mao