Mao Tse-tung: China's strongman

The official compact disc version of Mao's theories is illustrated with thousands of pictures and video clips from official archives - not to mention 20 volumes of Mao Tse-tung's political writings.

Wei Jianxing, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's powerful Politburo, presided over the launch of the CD-ROM.

Although the radical communist leader's policies have been revised since his death in 1976, the ruling Communist Party continues to use Mao's legacy to reinforce its own legitimacy.

Mao memorabilia

Remembering Mao on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1993

Selected thoughts and sayings of the late leader are also being reissued to mark the event and Chinese television is running a six-part documentary his early life.

Chairman Mao ruled China for three decades up to his death. He is particularly remembered for his "Little Red Book".

The book was a feature of the "Cultural Revolution" instigated by Mao in the 1960s, and became a mantra for the country's youth.

China remembers Mao every year on 26 December, but amid the celebrations there is dissent.

Voice of dissent

This year, a dissident called on Beijing to close the late leader's mausoleum and take down his portrait from the centre of Tiananmen Square.

"Every year on 26 December, the newspapers are full of positive things about Mao but I call on people to speak the truth," said Gao Hongming, an activist who recently attempted to stand as a candidate in local elections.

"In creating New China, Mao did much successful work, but after the revolution he made a lot of errors and his greatest crime was his personal dictatorship," wrote Mr Gao in an open letter addressed to the parliament, government and ruling Communist Party.