China destroys giant Mao statue worth 3 million yuan
Officials said the 120-ft installation in Zhushigang village was pulled down because did not have the state's approval, while other reports say criticism led to the statue being removed.
A giant gold-painted statue of China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong was removed just a few days after it had been erected. The 120-ft structure cost around 3 million yuan (Rs 3.08 crore) to build. Officials at Zhushigang village, where the statue was built, said it had not got the rights approvals, according to Chinese state media.
Other reports, however, claim that the statue was removed because of the criticism it generated, with many people saying it was a waste of resources and located inappropriately, BBC reported. Henan province, where the statue was built, was hit by famine in the 1950s because of Mao’s policies.
The construction had been funded by local entrepreneurs and farmers.