Mao portrait on Tiananmen Square undergoes annual renewal

To celebrate the upcoming 67th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the portrait of Chairman Mao, which is hung above the central entrance to the Tiananmen rostrum, was replaced on the night of Sept. 27. The portrait weighs 1.5 tons, and the switching out of the old portrait for the new one usually takes about 40 minutes. The portrait is replaced every year to maximize its visual effect. (Photo/Beijing News)