Miscellaneous Verse · Welcoming Spring[1]

(1901)

The lion’s eyes bulge wide,
Cook pickled greens with beancurd beside.
Heat the wine over a blazing fire,
Stew the meat till tender, soft to admire.

[1] In the year Mao Zedong turned eight, he went with his mother to his maternal grandmother’s home to pay New Year respects. Drums, gongs, and firecrackers sounded day and night, and dragon lanterns and lion dances followed one after another. His grandfather pointed at the lion and said with a smile: “Runzhi, if you can praise the lion, Grandpa will give you another piece of New Year’s money.” Upon hearing this, Mao Zedong immediately climbed onto the table and began to chant unhurriedly. This rhyme reflects the local farmers’ New Year customs and the joyful mood of Mao Zedong in his childhood.

The residence of Mao Zedong’s maternal grandparents — Tangjiatuo. Mao Zedong spent most of his childhood here.

The Former Residence of Chairman Mao in Shaoshan (Chinese painting)


The bedroom of Mao Zedong’s parents. It was here that Mao Zedong was born.

The kitchen in Mao Zedong’s former residence.

The Shaoshan Mao clan genealogy and the record of Mao Zedong’s three preceding generations.

Mao Zedong’s lineage chart.

The family precepts and family admonitions of the Mao clan genealogy.