China marks Mao Zedong's birth anniversary with themed train

BEIJING: A locomotive named after late Chinese leader Mao Zedong today arrived at a station in China's south-central Hunan province to mark his 121st birth anniversary.

"Mao Zedong" pulled the passenger train that runs between the Chinese capital and Hunan while bearing the late leader's portrait. It left Beijing Railway Station yesterday. Today is the 121st anniversary of Mao's birth.

"Mao Zedong" locomotive was assigned to run on the Beijing-Hunan Line after its fifth upgrade. The new locomotive has a maximum speed of 160 km per hour, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The locomotive was named after Mao on October 30, 1946 in Harbin City in northeast China during the War of Liberation (1946-1949). It was initially a steam locomotive used to transport soldiers and military materials.

It was later upgraded to run on diesel in 1977. The new model is electric and belongs to the Beijing Railway Bureau.