The giant portrait of late Chairman Mao Zedong in Tian'anmen Square was quietly replaced by a spruced-up one on Wednesday evening on the eve of New China's birthday which falls on October 1.

It took about one and a half hour for workers to replace the painting after a security line was fixed and armed police put on guard in front of Beijing's Tian'anmen rostrum, according to media reports on Friday.

Replacing Mao's fading portrait with a spruced-up one before China's National Day has become a regular practice.

Two paintings are used to adorn the Tian'anmen rostrum. While one painting is in use, the other one - a little faded after being exposed to the elements for a year - undergoes special reconditioning treatment.

The new portrait, six meters high, five meters wide and weighing about two tons, is a reproduction of the fourth edition of Mao's portrait that has hung in this historic spot since New China was founded in 1949.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2006)