There is a good deal of primary source material on the Internet relating to Mao. However, many sites simply provide copies of his many works, and so are a little daunting to younger students. The following sites must therefore not be seen as ‘library’ type resources for students to go away and read. Their use needs careful consideration in terms of:

• the depth of information they contain
• the range of insights published in them
• the ability to communicate with experts and enthusiasts
• the ability to access original archive material
• the potential to use the sites as the basis of really stimulating and imaginative activities

The following sites are recommended because they meet at least some of the criteria listed above:

Autobiographical Notes on Mao Tse-tung
http://www.maoism.org/msw/bio_notes.htm
This is not a visually arresting site, in fact it is all text. However, in it Mao describes his childhood. We get a fascinating insight into Mao’s development but also into life in China in the early 19^th century. This site is strongly recommended to bring Mao to life as a flesh and blood human being.

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung
http://art-bin.com/art/omaotoc.html
This is a huge collection of Mao’s thoughts on a vast range of issues relating to politics and society. Again, it is not powerful visually but it is the sort of resource which could be profitably used by allocating sections of it to small groups of pupils to study.

Cultural Revolution Art and Poetry
http://www.ezlink.com/~culturev/CulturArt.htm
This is a wonderfully visual site, simply containing art and poetry from the Cultural Revolution. The idolisation of Mao comes across very clearly in most of the work presented here. This is a great resource which students could ‘mine’ for materials.