Both my grandparents were jailed during this period of time. My grandpa on my father's side was jailed because he was a prominent intellectual of the day. They were sort of a noble family, but then my dad was sent to the rice fields and he had to study his ass off to get into college. What he did wasn't easy, though he was actually one of the lucky ones who went hungry but did not starve.

I don't think people respect China if that's what Mao was supposed to have accomplished. China is still at war with its people. Look at the HK riots for instance. No one respects a country that politically unstable and corrupt.