December 11, 2008
Over 130 Chairman Mao impersonators from across the country have come to the former leader’s hometown of Xiangtan, Hunan Province, to audition for a part in a tourist drama. The front page of today’s Chongqing Evening News shows the actors that have made it to the final round.
The drama, called A Red Sun Rises In Shaoshan, is the highlight of the local “red tourism” project, a concept that has been promoted by national tourism authorities since 2004. To make things more attractive to tourists, a special audience participation section was incorporated in the drama so viewers could interact with the impersonator.
Zhou Yongjin, the director of the provincial cultural department and the drama’s producer, said that the many tourists who visit Shaoshan from around the world would provide a solid audience for the drama. He also found that the audiences at tourist destinations are typically more “generous”:
It is not very easy to get here, so they don’t want to have any regrets…Also, the demeanor of the great leader is the legacy he left to the nation, a great treasure. Photos and films are not enough: we need to revitalize the thoughts and charisma of leader and bring back a living Chairman Mao to the people again.
- Hunan Online via Xinhuanet (Chinese): Impersonator casting call in Hunan
- Earlier on Danwei: David Moser on Mao impersonators, An illegal Mao impersonator