Chinese youth photograph the giant portrait of Chairman Mao that hangs over Beijing’s huge central square, Tiananmen. Although Mao was not only a great revolutionary but also a leader whose inconsistent program led him to make some capitulations to imperialism – most seriously the promulgation of an early 1970s alliance with U.S. imperialism – solidarity for Mao amongst the Chinese masses is a reflection (albeit an imperfect one) of support for communism and a longing for the greater equality and friendship amongst people of the Mao era.