Statutes of the Problem Study Society (September
1,1919)
Announcement by Deng Kang:130
My friend Mr. Mao Zedong has sent from Changsha the Statutes of the Problem
Study Society, amounting to over ten pages. Friends in Beijing have looked at them,
and all say they are very good, and should be studied. Everyone has asked me for a
copy, and I now have only one left. Since quite a few people still want copies, I have
had them printed in the daily paper of our school,131 in reply to the request of all those
who are concerned with finding answers to the problems that concern us in this present
age.
Article I All things and all principles, whether essential or nonessential to contemporary human life, that have not yet been solved yet influence the progress of
contemporary human life, are problems. Together we today found this society, emphasizing that the solution to such problems as these starts first with study, and name it
the Problem Study Society.
Article II The various problems listed below, and other problems that are deemed
worthy of study to be continually added, are problems to be studied by this society.
1. Educational Problems
2. The problem of universal education (of compulsory education).
3. Middle school education problems. (3) Specialized education problems. (4) Higher
education problems. (5) The problem of educating people about society. (6) The
problem of compiling textbooks in
the national language. (7) The problem of teaching the Chinese language in middle
school. (8) The problem of nonpunishment. (9) The problem of abolishing examinations. (10) The problem of improving teaching methods at all levels. (11) The problem
of the knowledge, health, and salaries of elementary school teachers. (12) The problem
of building public athletic stadia. (13) The problem of building places of public amusement. (14) The problem of building public libraries. (15) The problem of revising the
educational system. (16) The problem of sending large numbers of students to study
abroad. (17) The problem of how to implement [John] Dewey’s educational doctrine.
1. Women’s Problems
2. The problem of women participating in politics. (2) The problem of education
for women. (3) The problem of women and a career. (4) The problem of women
and social intercourse. (5) The problem of chastity. (6) The problem of the freedom to love and the sacredness of love. (7) The problem of coeducation. (8)
The problem of female makeup and adornment. (9) The problem of education
and the family. (10) The problem of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law living
together. (11) The problem of abolishing prostitution. (12) The problem of abolishing concubines. (13) The problem of abolishing footbinding. (14) The problem
of establishing public nurseries. (15) The problem of establishing public kindergartens. (16) The problem of the way children born out of wedlock are treated.
(17) The problem of birth control.
3. The Problem of the National Language
(The problem of the colloquial language [baihua])
1. The Problem of Confucius
2. The Problem of Combining Eastern and Western Civilizations
3. The Problem of Reforming the Marriage System, and Whether or Not the Marriage System Should Be Abolished
4. The Problem of Reforming the Clan System, and Whether or Not the Clan
System Should Be Abolished
5. The Problem of Reforming the State System, and Whether or Not the State
System Should Be Abolished

6. The Problem of Reforming Religion, and Whether or Not Religion Should Be
Abolished
7. The Labor Problem
8. The problem of working hours. (2) The problem of educating workers. (3) The
problem of housing and entertainment for workers.
9. The problem of dealing with unemployment. (5) The problem of the value of labor.
(6) The problem of child labor. (7) The problem of equal value for the work of
men and women. (8) The problem of labor organization. (9) The problem of an
international alliance of labor. (10) The problem of the political participation of
workers and peasants. (11) The problem of forced labor. (12) The problem of the
equal distribution of the surplus. (13) The problem of public ownership of the
organs of production. (14) The problem of worker retirement annuities. (15) The
problem of inherited property reverting to the public domain, (to be continued)
10. The Problem of the Self-Determination of Nations
11. The Problem of Economic Freedom
12. The Problem of Freedom of the Seas
13. The Problem of Limiting Military Armaments
14. The Problem of the League of Nations
15. The Problem of Free Emigration
16. The Problem of Racial Equality
17. The Problem of Whether or Not Socialism Can Be Implemented
18. The Problem of How to Advance the Union of the Popular Masses
19. The Problem of How to Universalize the Work-Study Philosophy
20. The Problem of Russia
21. The Problem of Germany
22. The Problem of Austria and Hungary
23. The Problem of Indian Self-Rule
24. The Problem of the Independence of Ireland
25. The Problem of the Partition of Turkey

26. The Problem of the Egyptian Riots
27. The Problem of How to Deal with the German Emperor
28. The Problem of Reconstruction in Belgium
29. The Problem of Reconstruction in Eastern France
30. The Problem of Dealing with the German Colonies
31. The Problem of Public Ownership of Harbors
32. The Problem of Air Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean
33. The Problem of Air Flight Across the Pacific Ocean
34. The Problem of Air Flight Over the Tianshan132
35. The Problem of Drilling Traffic Tunnels Under the Bering Sea, the English Channel, and the Straits of Gibraltar
36. The Problem of Siberia
37. The Problem of Philippine Independence
38. The Problem of Food Supplies in Japan
39. The Japan Problem
40. The Korea Problem
41. The Shandong Problem
42. The Hunan Problem
43. The Problem of Abolishing Governors-General
44. The Problem of Demobilizing the Troops
45. The Problem of a National Defense Force
46. The Problem of the New and Old Parliaments
47. The Problem of Unifying the Railroads
(The problem of dissolving the spheres of foreign influence)

1. The Manchurian Problem
2. The Mongolian Problem
3. The Tibetan Problem
4. The Problem of Returning the Boxer Indemnities
5. The Problem of the Chinese Laborers133
6. The problem of educating the Chinese laborers. (2) The problem of the savings of
the Chinese laborers. (3) Resettlement of the Chinese laborers after they return
home.
7. The Problem of Local Self-Government
8. The Problem of the Central versus Local Governments and the Centralization
versus Decentralization of Power
9. The Problem of a Bicameral versus Unicameral System
10. The Problem of General Elections
11. The Problem of Limitations on the Power of the President
12. The Problem of Examinations for Civil and Legal Officials
13. The Problem of Eliminating Bribery
14. The Problem of a Cabinet with Collective Responsibility
15. Industrial Problems
16. The problem of reforming sericulture. (2) The problem of reforming tea production. (3) The problem of reforming cotton planting. (4) The problem of afforestation. (5) The problem of opening mines. (6) The problem of setting up more
silk and cloth factories. (7) The problem of foreign trade. (8) The problem of
establishing national factories.
17. Transportation Problems
18. The problem of reforming the railroads. (2) The problem of getting large foreign
loans to expand the railroad tracks and equipment. (3) The problem of setting
up radio stations. (4) The problem of adding to electric power lines over land and
over water. (5) The problem of increasing merchant shipping. (6) The problem of
building commercial ports and highways. (7) The problem of building automobile
roads in the countryside.

19. Problems of Public Finance
20. The problem of paying foreign debts. (2) The problem of getting more foreign
loans. (3) The problem of repaying and raising more domestic loans. (4) The problems of reducing interest and increasing taxes. (5) The problem of overhauling
the salt administration. (6) The problem of drawing a line between the financial
powers of the capital and those of the provinces. (7) The problem of overhauling
the tax system. (8) The problem of land surveying. (9) The problem of unifying
and collecting the land tax.
21. Economic Problems
22. The problem of the basic unit of the currency. (2) The problem of establishing
a central bank. (3) The problem of recalling paper currency. (4) The problem of
establishing people’s banks.134 (5) The problem of people’s savings.
1. The Problem of an Independent Judiciary
2. The Problem of Abolishing Extraterritoriality
3. The Problem of Establishing Public Town Parks
4. The Problem of Model Villages
5. The Problem of Self-Rule in the Southwest
6. The Problem of Whether or Not to Implement a Federal System
Article III The study of problems should be solidly founded on academic principles.
Before studying the various problems, we should therefore study various “isms.”135 The
isms listed below are those we should pay special attention to studying.
1. Philosophical theories.
2. Ethical theories.
3. Educational theories.
4. Religious theories.
5. Literary theories.
6. Aesthetic theories.
7. Political theories.
8. Economic theories.
9. Legal theories.
10. Scientific laws.
Article IV Any problem may be suggested for study, whether large or small, so long
as it is relatively broadly general in nature, such as the problem of Japan.
Article V In studying problems, those that require on-the-spot investigation should
be investigated on the spot, and those that do not require on- the-spot investigation,
or for which on-the-spot investigation is presently impossible, may be studied from
books, magazines, and newspapers, as for example the problem of Confucius and that
of the three underwater traffic tunnels.
Article VI The emphasis will be on the study of problems related to contemporary
human life, but we shall also take note of those for which projections about the future
can be made. Problems of the past that have no relevance to the present or future will
not be examined.
Article VII The methods of problem study take three forms.
1. Study by a single individual.
2. Study groups of two or more persons.
3. Study by correspondence among two or more persons in different locations.
Article VIII The Problem Study Society will be limited to the “theoretical solution
of problems.” “Solving problems in practice” will take place outside the Problem Study
Society.
Article IX Anyone interested in studying one or more of the above-mentioned problems, and who wishes to be involved in the Problem Study Society, will be considered
a member of the Problem Study Society.
Article X The relation of the Society to its members and the relations among members of the Society will be limited to just “problem study.” Any other kind of relationship will be outside the Problem Study Society.
Article XI The Problem Study Society will have two secretaries, who will administer
the Society’s business.
Article XII The Problem Study Society was founded on September 1 of the eighth
year of the Republic of China, 1919 by the Western calendar. The Regulations of the
Problem Study Society were adopted and announced on this day.

--- Notes

127 Liaobude. On the many possible meanings of this Chinese expression, see the note to “The
Founding of the Cultural Book Society,” July 31,1920.
128 October 10, 1911, the date of the Wuhan uprising, which marked the beginning of the revolution.
129 October 22, 1911, the date on which the New Army entered Changsha and overthrew the old
order. Hunan was thus, as Mao states above, the first province to respond to Hubei’s initiative.
130 The second part of this article presumably appeared in issue no. 5 of the Xiang River Review,
which was confiscated by Zhang Jingyao and of which no copies are known to be extant. Thereafter,
the newspaper was, as already indicated, closed down.
131 Deng Kang (1894–1933), a Hunanese, later took the name Deng Zhongxia. Deng was, in 1919,
a student at Beijing University. While at the university he was active in various societies, including
the Beijing University Mass Education Lecture Corps and the Society for the Study of Socialism. He
and Mao maintained regular contact during this period. He was later an important labor organizer
and the author of a history of the union movement in China which remained the standard work for
several decades. Though the paragraph which follows is not by Mao Zedong, it accompanied the first
publication of this document and is therefore included here.

132 I.e., the Beijing daxue rikan (Beijing University Daily).

133 The mountain range running between Xinjiang and Central Asia.

134 I.e., of the coolies sent to dig trenches for the Entente during the First World War.
135 Here, and in item 5 which follows immediately, the term translated “people’s” is guomin, literally
“citizens’ ” or “national,” but Mao appears to be contrasting the “people’s” banks with the central bank
referred to earlier.