THE first Mao badges were made by hand out of toothpaste tubes. These days they are churned out by the million on the industrial assembly lines that are powering China’s capitalist-style economic boom.

The badges can be found for sale at the mausoleum in the heart of Beijing that holds the remains of the Chairman. They are hawked to tourists visiting his birthplace of Shaoshan in central Hunan province. They turn up in flea markets across China, some masquerading as the real thing from the 1960s.

A Mao pendant on sale at the mausoleum costs 10 yuan (about 60p). There is plenty of choice. The souvenir shops and stalls at the exit from the building stock tea towel-style embroidered portraits; a plastic paperweight will set a buyer back about 30 yuan, while a Mao lighter that plays the revolutionary anthem The East is Red costs 48 yuan.

These are the prices for modern trinkets that Chinese hope will bring them good luck or serve as a talisman against misfortune. Prices are rather steeper at the Panjiayuan market in southern Beijing. There, an original Cultural Revolution-era badge can fetch thousands of dollars — depending on its scarcity value and condition.

An entire floor of an indoor bazaar is occupied by purveyors of Mao memorabilia and curios from the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution.

One shop displays countless different editions of the Little Red Book of Mao’s quotations that Red Guards once waved in a frenzy of ultra-leftist adulation of the Great Helmsman at rallies in Tiananmen Square. These cost just a few pounds.

Qiu Liwei has been collecting Mao curios since the late 1990s. Now he has for sale larger-than-life oil portraits for more than £500 or a full-length embroidered wall-hanging for an even higher price.

He said: “This one is more than 10,000 yuan; only a serious collector would be interested.”

Many of Mr Qiu’s customers are self-made men with money to burn, an urge to collect and a nostalgia for the age of Mao. He said: “These people want a spiritual meaning to their life and so they like to hang a genuine old portrait of Mao in their office or in their study.”

However, the biggest buyers are government units. Mr Qiu says officials like to make their purchases quietly and he believes these clients are building up private collections that could one day be put on display in a private museum. “These people will spend millions for the right piece.”

In pride of place he displays a lifesize white porcelain bust. “It’s such a pity but it has a crack on the back. It would have been very valuable but professional collectors look out for this kind of flaw.”

A man strolls into Mr Qiu’s shop in search of a Mao painting by a specific artist. Mr Qiu directs him round the corner to another stall.

Mao collectibles have spawned an online trade. A Chinese equivalent of eBay offers hundreds of curios. A teapot inscribed with Mao quotations is going for 300 yuan an unusual 10cm diameter Mao badge is fetching 120 yuan and a newspaper from the day of Mao’s death has attracted bids of 200 yuan.

But Mr Qiu already has his eyes set on the next fad. “I am trying to find Deng Xiaoping items, but these are very rare because he didn’t like the personality cult. Still, I think this will be the next trend.”

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