Mao’s final teacher
Xia Zuhai, headmaster of Minzhu Elementary and Secondary School. Photo: Liang Chen/GT Xia Zuhai's "Mao Zedong Thought" school in Huaiyang county, Henan Province Photo: Liang Chen/GT Xia Zuhai, 49, a passionate promoter of Mao Zedong Thought, has spent the past 19 years promoting "red education" among students in his self-run primary and secondary school, despite a constant barrage of criticism on his controversial teaching methods. Xia launched Minzhu Elementary and Secondary School in the suburbs of Huaiyang county, Henan Province in 1996. He built the school while harboring the ambition of "shaping students' good moral character" through Mao Zedong Thought. Differing from other teachers, Xia is less concerned about students' academic performance. Instead, he places a high value on students' capability to practice the core values of Mao Zedong Thought. "The most important thing is to shape students' go...