Mao Zedong is like a god for the Chinese. During the Cultural Revolution the deification of Mao was extreme. Life in China was totally dominated by Chairman Mao and everything revolved around him. After opening up in 1978, it cooled down a bit, but Mao did not disappear.
In the beginning of the 1990s a 'Mao craze 毛热' swept over Mainland China again. Mao Zedong was recognized as the father of the Chinese nation. He had gained his place in history. Maybe for some people the changes had gone too rapidly after China opened its doors, so Mao was glorified again, this time in a more popular way, with all kinds of gadgets to commemorate the Great Leader: lucky charms with Mao's picture decorated the inside of cars, watches with Mao waving his hand, lighters playing the national anthem and many other Mao-gadgets were everywhere.
Mao is here to stay. If you would still doubt the status of Mao Zedong in China you may finally be convinced now. In spite of the fact that traditional Chinese Festivals have been officially recognized again and president Xi Jinping visits Confucius' birthplace rather than Mao's birthplace, Mao continues to have influence. Since a number of years Christmas has been introduced in China, more as a commercial event than anything else. But now the Chinese Maoists have created their own 'Christmas' on Mao's birthday on December 26: 'Christ-mas' in China is renamed to 'Mao-mas' 毛泽东圣诞节!
Shall we put a Mao Statue in our living room instead of a Christmas tree?