Letter to Luo Xuezan21 (August 11,1918)
To Senior Classmate Rongxi for his inspection:
I have received a letter from Mr. Cai22 and learned that you have already sent me
a reply. I can raise the 200 yuan for travel to Beijing and France, but the 100 yuan
for travel to Baoding23 I cannot raise. This is one problem. When my talented brother
Cai gets to Beijing, I will discuss with him raising or borrowing the money, or if at
any time I am able to get it, I will let you know. The diploma must be mailed to
me immediately; if it is sent double-registered at the post office, it can’t get lost. I
have another point to discuss with you. You specialize in the techniques of industrial
production; this seems not suitable to your talent. Your strength is in education. I,
your younger brother, have discussed this with Mr. Cai and others many times; he
has many friends, but few of them are engaged in primary education. Our future is
rather empty, and we have no definite plans. Recently, Mr. Zhou Shizhao24 was hired
as the dean of remedial education; I deeply approve of this and feel relieved. I heard
something about your assuming a teaching position at the Huang Family School;25 I
wonder whether that has become a fact. Of course, going to Baoding is one thing to
do, but it is not as beneficial as engaging in education. First, education is inherently
superior. Second, it facilitates the study of related subjects such as the humanities.
Third, to educate the young is to build up the future support of the association. For
all these reasons, it needs to be thought over. Between going to a place afar and a new
place, one ought not to decide in haste ([going to] Southeast Asia also means education,
or to wait a while for the message from Southeast Asia is also another way). There are


21 Luo Xuezan (1893–1930), also known as Luo Rongxi, was born in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. He
was one of Mao’s classmates at Hunan First Normal School and later studied at Self-Study University. An
early member of the New People’s Study Society, in 1919 he went to France on the work-study program,
but was expelled by the French government in November 1921. He joined the Chinese Communist
Party on his return to China and was involved in the Hunan workers’ movement. He was killed by the
Guomindang in Hangzhou. (This letter was actually a postcard.)


22 Cai Hesen, Mao’s intimate friend from the Normal School in Changsha. (See the note to Zhang
Kundi’s “Record of Two Talks with Mao Zedong” of September 1917.) At this time he was in Beijing
making arrangements for the work-study in France program.


23 At this time preparatory classes for students planning to go to France on the workstudy scheme
were being held at the Yude Middle School in Baoding, Hebei Province.


24 See the note to Mao’s letter of March 14,1920, to Zhou Shizhao.


25 I.e., the Xiangtan Huang Family School.