Chinese people have long been emotionally attached to their great leaders. Former greats like Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping and Zhu De remain close to the hearts of many people.

The eternal attraction of these late leaders is even reflected in a new travel trend.

Their former residences are often a source of fascination for visitors from home and abroad keen to know something about where they came from.

To meet the demand, and help develop local tourism, local governments around China have launched renovation projects of such famous residences and then opened the doors to visitors from across the world.

Zhou Enlai's (1898-1976) residence

Even in China today, if you mention two words "Chinese Premier," the first name people think of is Zhou Enlai, the first Chinese Premier of New China.

Zhou was born in Huai'an in Jiangsu Province in 1898. He lived here for 12 years. In 1910, his uncle took Zhou with him for schooling in Northeast China. After that, Zhou did not return to his Huai'an hometown again.

The renovated residence remains in the original style but many modern buildings have been built around it by the local government. This makes the residential area appear like a park. Zhou and his family belongings are kept in the residence. Paintings, pictures, and many other materials about Zhou are on display here. Zhou's Huai'an residence includes 32 rooms, with an area of 1,187 square metres. A memorial hall is built nearby. The hall itself occupies 3,265 square metres.

Zhou also has a former home in Yan'an. It is popularly known among Chinese people as Zaoyuan (left), or Jujube Yard. Another famous residence of Zhou is Xihuating, located in the northern part of Zhongnanhai. Many materials on Zhou are exhibited here. It is not open to the public.

To get to Huai'an, first take flights to Nanjing or Xuzhou, and then take a bus to Huai'an.

Chairman Mao's (1893-1976) residence

Mao was born in Shaoshan in Central China's Hunan Province. He lived his childhood in the countryside houses. In his youth, he usually returned home while studying in the city of Changsha. After 1927, Mao did not return to his countryside residence until 1959.

Mao's residence is a wood-and-earth structure. It is well kept and remains as it was in the past.

Mao and his family members' former belongings are on display here. You can see bedrooms, the kitchen, farming tools and other utensils on display.

Mao's other residences are distributed in Yan'an of northwest China's Shaanxi Province and Xibaipo Village of North China's Hebei Province. Actually, these two places should be considered Mao's offices in times of revolution, not residences as such.

In Beijing, Mao had two frequent residences. One is in the Xiangshan Villa (Villa in Fragrant Hills); the other is in Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of China's Central Government. The latter is not open to visitors.

Mao's Shaoshan residence is the most popular destination compared with the others. To date, an estimated 50 million people from across the world have visited the wooden buildings.

To get to Shaoshan, first fly from Beijing to Changsha. Flights are operated daily. It costs 800 yuan (US$96) after discount and takes two hours. After arriving at Changsha, you can take buses to Shaoshan. It takes two hours to finish the 120-km road trip.

Mao's residence in Shaoshan is open free.

Soong Ching Ling's residence

Soong (1893-1981) was honorary chairman of the People's Republic of China.

Her Beijing-based residence is situated on the northern bank of the beautiful Houhai area. The residence was a mansion of a princess in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After she passed away in 1981, her residence was turned into a museum dedicated to her memory. The house is kept as it was when she was alive.

Soong also has a residence in Shanghai. The one in Shanghai seems more popular than that in Beijing. Once you are in Shanghai, the locals will typically first try to persuade you to visit the busy banks of Huangpu River and then Soong's residence. The residence, located in Xuhui District, is one of the few worthy visitor destinations in Shanghai, according to some.

Chiang Kai-shek's residence

Chiang (1887-1975), leader of the Kuomingtang (KMT), was a Chinese leader for dozens of years before 1949. One of his residences is located in Shanghai. It is a British-style garden yard, where Chiang and his wife Soong Mei Ling lived from 1927 to 1949.

Location: Dongpinglu, Shanghai.

Liu Shaoqi's (1898-1969) residence

Liu, former President of the People's Republic of China, was born in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province in 1898. Liu's home is about 100 km from Mao's Shaoshan residence. There are 30 rooms remaining and they cover 800 square meters. Materials on Liu and his family are on display in the residence.

A grand memorial building for Liu was built nearby.

Liu was toppled in the "cultural revolution"(1966-76) and passed away in prison in 1969. In 1980, he was rehabilitated.

To get to Ningxiang County, take a flight to Changsha and then change a bus.

(Beijing Weekend July 9, 2004)