BEIJING: China’s ruling Communist Party has dusted off a Mao-era honorific for President Xi Jinping, cementing his status as the most powerful ruler since the Great Helmsman himself. AdvertisementsThe term “lingxiu” has more reverential and spiritual connotations than the ordinary term for leader, and has not been used since the time of Mao’s successor Hua Guofeng. After the 19th party congress ended last Tuesday, Xi was formally handed a second term as its leader. But since Xi took the reins in 2012, power has been increasingly centralised in a sole pair of hands: his. Mao, at the height of his personality cult during the early years of the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, was hailed as a “great teacher, great lingxiu, great commander-in-chief, and great helmsman”—a slogan known as the “four greats.” AFP

Source: Manila Times October 30, 2017 12:33 UTC