Chairman Mao not only introduced Pinyin in China, but also simplified half the Chinese characters, believing that fewer strokes would enable more people to learn to write the characters.

When I first came to Guangzhou in 1981, it seemed such a hard and dour place with everyone in Chairman Mao uniforms.

Remember the words of Chairman Mao: 'It's always darkest before it's totally black.'.

If children were brought up to become non-conformists it would only ruin their lives. So parents all over China who loved their children told them to do as Chairman Mao said. It was not possible to tell them anything else.

I was Chairman Mao's dog. What he said to bite, I bit.

Remember the words of Chairman Mao: 'It's always darkest before it's totally black.'.