CHANGSHA, Dec. 24 -- A symposium was held on Tuesday in central China's Hunan Province to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong.

The symposium in the provincial capital of Changsha was attended by local officials, military officers, Mao's relatives, and other guests.

Xu Shousheng, secretary of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), delivered a keynote speech at the symposium, highlighting Mao's contribution to China's revolutionary cause and his efforts to explore socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Provincial authorities also paid tribute to Mao at his birthplace in Shaoshan Village on Tuesday morning, part of a range of activities in memory of an influential figure in China's modern history.