This bias gets exaggerated when it comes to Mao, because the negative statistics gets very large (such as death tolls). What one needs to realize is that Chinese people regard Mao in a positive light because they (people in those time periods) accept some responsibilities for all the negative things that happened. read more
So I think the OP's question arises not necessarily from the "absolute" positive or relative views of Mao that Chinese individuals have (because truth be told I've met very few Chinese with such an opinion), but rather on the "relative" difference in the very negative views that the OP may have been raised with, vs the slightly positive/slightly negative views that many Chinese have. read more
"The Chinese people" are not of course of one mind on the legacy of Mao. There's a range of viewpoints from the unreconstructed Mao worshippers who'd like nothing more than to bring back the days of the Cultural Revolution and who believe unequivocally that Mao was a hero; to those who believe he was an unalloyed villain, a murderous monster. read more