A colossal aluminium/magnesium alloy statue of Mao Zedong, cast in Heilongjiang, affably greets you at the entrance. This is the first clue that, despite the paintings, ceramics and jade on display, this museum is really a shrine; note the huge portrait of a young Mao with shafts of light emanating from his head above the entrance.
The museum also houses the former site of the Hunan CCP Committee (中共湘区委员会旧址; Zhōng Gòng Xiāngqū Wěiyuánhuì Jiùzhǐ), where Mao lived from 1921 to 1923 while secretly running the local CCP. Elsewhere it's a lovely wooded area with some pleasant walks.