The return to China of an iconic portrait of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong for auction has sparked a heated public debate on whether the painting should be kept in the country and in public ownership.

Beijing Huachen Auction Co. said the original painting of Mao Zedong, the original of posters that hung above Beijing's Tian'anmen Rostrum in the 1950s and 1960s, will be auctioned on June 3 in Beijing.

Bidding on the painting, which is owned by a Chinese American, was open to both Chinese and foreign prospective buyers, and the next owner would be free to take it out of the country, said an official of Huanchen.

Thousands of people have voiced their opinions on websites and Internet chatrooms, with most opposing the auction, according to a report in the Beijing Daily Messenger.

Those who are against the auction said the portrait belonged in a national museum, and the auction is an act of irreverence to the late leader.

But those in favor said the goal of the auction was to better evaluate and preserve the portrait.

Mei Ligang, of Huangchen, said the company was holding the auction in Beijing in the hope that the portrait would be bought by a Chinese buyer and remain in China.

The portrait, 91 centimeters high and 68.5 centimeters wide, was painted in the 1950s by Mao portraitist Zhang Zhenshi. Posters of the work were made and circulated throughout the country.

The painting is expected to fetch up to 1.2 million yuan (150,000 U.S. dollars).

Zhang was born in 1914 and died in 1992. In 1950, he was among more than 30 painters invited from around the country to create a new portrait of Mao to mark the first anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

Articles relating to Mao are popular at auction. In 2003, an oil painting of Mao by Dong Xiwen sold at auction for 220,000 yuan (27,000 U.S. dollars).

Source: Xinhua