Chairman Mao's grandson, Mao Xinyu (first from left) on May 4. Chairman Mao's grandson, Mao Xinyu (first from left) on May 4. (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The only grandson of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東) did not die in a bus crash in North Korea but is still alive, according to a photo showing him visiting a shipbuilding company in China.

As the Chinese survivors of a crash which killed 36 people last month were paid high-level attention, including a visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but not all their names were released, speculation mounted that one of the fatalities was Major General Mao Xinyu (毛新宇).

Later, a Hong Kong newspaper quoted a relative saying he had not visited the other communist country, while commentators added that someone of his status and military rank was unlikely to join a tour group abroad.

On Friday, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation said Mao was taking part in a seminar organized by its Systems Engineering Research Institute in cooperation with the military.

The company also released a photo showing Mao in uniform, posing with three other officers and two civilians at the seminar.