Protesters rally at trial of fallen political hero Bo Xilai Jinan: Dozens of Bo Xilai supporters have congregated in protest outside the courthouse in Jinan where the disgraced Chinese politician's tightly controlled trial has begun, as the Communist Party looks to conclude one of its most sensational political scandals in decades. Bo Xilai entered the courthouse under police escort, court officials said, with the area immediately surrounding the court cordoned off by red and yellow barriers and police tape. One man, who gave his name as Shao, held up a portrait of Chairman Mao, the political leader whom Bo Xilai often evoked. Authorities have not allowed foreign journalists to enter the "open trial," but the court's official Weibo microblog account has been giving an account of proceedings. Fallen political leader Bo Xilai in court in the first photo of him in 18 months, following his arrest on corruption charges. Photo: Weibo One post said the defendant Bo Xilai was taken into court at 8.47am, with no empty seats in the courtroom, and among the 110 observers were five family members of Bo. Another post said from 2000 to 2012, Bo Xilai, by himself or through his wife Gu Kailai and his son Bo Guagua accepted money and property worth 21.79 million yuan ($A4 million) from Tang Xiaolin and Xu Ming, businessmen from Dalian where Bo was party secretary before moving to Chongqing. A heavy police presence patrolled the courthouse and kept watch as groups of supporters steadily built on both sides of the court precinct, snarling city traffic. Tempers rise outside the People's Intermediate Court in Jinan where the trial of fallen political star Bo Xilai is being held. Photo: Philip Wen One group of supporters unfurled a banner and chanted slogans praising Bo Xilai, before being swiftly removed by police. One man, who gave his name as Shao, held up a portrait of Chairman Mao, the political leader whom Bo Xilai often evoked through his populist policies and singing of revolutionary songs. "We support Bo Xilai, he is a good man," Shao said. Ninety eight per cent of Chinese people support Bo Xilai. If you look on the internet, if they didn't remove posts, you would see we all support him. People for and against Bo Xilai gather outside the People's Intermediate Court in Jinan Photo: Philip Wen But the public demonstrations also drew angry rebuttals from other onlookers, who said Bo was a corrupt tyrant who stole from the people of western China's megacity Chongqing. "I don't agree with what the protesters are saying," university student Gao Qinfei said. I'm just an ordinary Chinese [person], and I support Xi Jinping. Criminal trials in China, particularly in politically sensitive cases, are seen as formalities aimed at conferring legitimacy on party decisions. Bo Xilai supporters unfurl portrait of Mao Zedong outside the People's Intermediate Court in Jinan. But the Chinese leadership has struggled, in the 18 months since Bo's fall from grace, to maintain the balance between the former Chongqing party secretary's staunch opponents and supporters amid an increasingly fractious ideological debate over China's future direction. "They need Bo to stage a show so that [his supporters] will be delivered a psychological blow and shut up for good," Chen Ziming, a political analyst and former Tiananmen Square activist, said. Those people are the most ardent about Bo's case because he portrayed himself as a resolute, unwavering tough man in the image of Mao. Once the powerful boss of Chongqing, Bo Xilai has become the most senior politician in years to be expelled from the Communist Party, after revelations that his wife, Gu Kailai had murdered British businessman Neil Heywood. The scandal burst into full view when Bo's police chief, Wang Lijun, fled for his life to a United States consulate armed with information on Heywood's murder in February last year. Bo was stood down as Chongqing party chief in March and subsequently expelled from the Communist Party. He has been charged with bribery, abuse of power and corruption.