Xi invokes Mao in visit to cradle of Communist revolution

A child posing for photos at Zaoyuan Revolutionary Former Site in Yan'an city, northwest Shaanxi province. Xi's choice to visit Yan'an - a site inextricably linked with Communist China's founder Mao Zedong - was an important, deliberate indication of the themes of his next five years at the helm, analysts said. - AFP

Beijing (AFP): Dressed in matching navy windbreakers and flanking President Xi Jinping, China's freshly appointed top leadership this week made their first group outing to the Communist Party's "holy land".

Xi's choice to visit Yan'an - a site inextricably linked with Communist China's founder Mao Zedong - was an important, deliberate indication of the themes of his next five years at the helm, analysts said.