Mao Xinyu with his father, Mao Anqing, and mother, Shao Hua. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Cao Liya, Mao Zemin's granddaughter, says the book offered an opportunity for people to learn about her grandfather's deeds, because he passed away very early.

"My mother Mao Yuanzhi would always tell about her difficult childhood in prison, and how she had to beg for food. She also used to show us the scars on her legs."

Cao says she met Chairman Mao several times, and remembers his instructions clearly: "He said we should not focus on whom we were born to, but must work for the Party and the country."

Mao Xinyu, who was born in 1970, works at the PLA's Academy of Military Sciences, where he studies history and military thought. He has also published biographies on his grandfather, uncle Mao Anying and his mother Shao Hua.

Guan Shiguang, head of the publishing house, says the new book looks at Red culture and its contemporary significance through true and touching stories.

The book contains more than 200 historic photos, some being made public for the first time, including one of Chairman Mao's two sons photographed together in the former Soviet Union, and of a young Mao Xinyu posing with General Xu Shiyou's weapon.

Mao Dongdong, Mao Xinyu's son, has produced a calligraphic work on the "Chinese Dream" for the book.

Contact the writer at @chinadaily.com.cn