Construction of the country's biggest statue of the late Chairman Mao Zedong has begun in Juzizhou Park in Changsha, capital of Hunan province.

The marble sculpture covers a construction floor space of more than 2,300 sq m and will tower 32 m when completed a year from now.

The project includes a memorial exhibition hall in which Mao's written works, books and possessions giving insight into his daily life will go on display.

Hunan is the hometown of Mao, who died in 1976.

His statue is expected to become a main tourist attraction in the central metropolis.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)