Dalai Lama: 'Chairman Mao saw me as a son'

24 June 2012 Last updated at 05:18 ET Help

The Dalai Lama has said that the former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong treated him "as a son" when they met in the spiritual leader's youth.

In an interview with The Andrew Marr Show, he spoke of their warm relationship and also joked about Chairman Mao's smoking habit.

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.