First Business Report of the Cultural Book Society:
Report on Circumstances During the Preparatory
and Interim Business Periods (October 22,1920)
According to Article 7 of the “Outline of the Organization of the Cultural Book
Society,” “The business activities of this Society shall be public knowledge, and every
month a report on operations will be made available.” There follows a report of all the
circumstances of the preparatory and interim period business activities of the Society.
1. Circumstances of the Founding and of the Preparatory Stage
The Society was founded in July of this year. The founders feel that it is necessary to
study the new thought tides of the world, that such study requires good materials, and
that it is essential to have organs to introduce new publications. Thus they gathered
together to make plans to found a bookstore. On August 2, the inaugural meeting was
held, making use of premises at Chuyi School. An eight-article Organizational Outline
was discussed and passed, and Messrs. Yi Lirong, Peng Huang, and Mao Zedong were
appointed to the preparatory committee, with the task of preparing for setting up the
Book Society, and of drafting regulations for the board of directors and for business
activities. The “preparation and start-up” stage may be dealt with under the following
three headings:
1. Accomodation. We first considered finding a suitable location on Changzhi Street,
or at the Council on Education, but there was not enough time to find one there,
so we first rented from the Hunan-Yale Medical School205 a portion of No. 56
Chaozong Street, the former location of Hunan-Yale. With references from Mr.
Zhao Yunwen,206 a founder, a lease was signed on August 20.
2. Capital. The Society is a public organization. All investments become public
property, and no interest will be paid, so funding sources will necessarily be
limited to those who are in sympathy with the principles of our Society and
know us well. From the inaugural meeting of August 2 through the first board of
directors meeting on October 22, the investors have included Jiang Jihuan, Zuo
Xueqian,207 Zhu Jiao, Yang Jisun, Fang Weixia, Yi Peiji, Wang Bangmo, Mao
Zedong, Zhu Jianfan, Kuang Rixiu, Xiong Mengfei, He Shuheng, Wu Yuzhen, Yi
Lirong, Lin Yunyuan, Zhou Shizhao, Tao Yi, Chen Shunong, Guo Kaidi, Peng
Huang, Zhou Yunzhen, Zhao Yunwen, Pan Shicen, Xiong Chuxiong, Liu Yujie,
and others, twenty-seven persons208 in all, who have given a total of 519 yuan.
3. Business Transactions with Agencies Outside of Hunan. Besides a number of
magazine companies, formal publications trade agreements have been signed by
the Book Society with Taidong Book Company, Yadong Library, Zhonghua Book
Company, Qunyi Bookstore, China Times, and New Youth Press in Shanghai,
the Beijing University Press, New Tide Press, Scholarly Lectures Society, and
Morning Post in Beijing, and the Liqun Bookstore in Wuchang, eleven in all.
Thanks to credit references from Messrs. Li Shicen,209 Zuo Shunsheng, Chen
Duxiu, Zhao Nangong, Li Dazhao, and Yun Daiying,210 the publishing companies
waived the security deposit. But most of the first purchases had to be paid in
cash, and besides, in order to establish a good credit rating, we did not want
to buy on credit. Consequently, we had little circulating capital, and turnover
was slow. Negotiations back and forth took a full month’s time. By September 9,
books, papers, and magazines were arriving one after the other, and we opened
for business on that day. Of the three members of the preparatory committee,
Mr. Yi Lirong was appointed acting manager, with full charge of everything. It
was also decided that Mr. Luo Zonghan should be general representative of the
Book Society in Beijing, and Mr. Mao Fei general representative in Shanghai.
4. Brief Statistics of Books, Newspapers, and Magazines Sold211
The Society deals in books, magazines, and newspapers. We have 164 different titles
of books, 45 different magazines, and 3 newspapers.212 The following are brief statistics
of the major books, newspapers, and magazines sold in the one month and twelve days
(from September 9 to October 20) of the interim business period:
Russell, Political Ideals……………………………………………. 30 copies
On Women213 214 215 216 217 218……………………………………… 20 copies
[Ernst] Haeckel, Monism’^………………………………………….. 20 copies
Darwin, Origin of Species ………………………………………….. 10 copies
Russell, Principles of Social Reconstruction…………………………… 25 copies
Observations During Six Weeks of Travel in Russia……………………. 10 copies
The Coming of Age of Love …………………………………………. 5 copies
Five Major Lectures by Dewey ………………………………………. 5 copies
History of Western Ethics’1 …………………………………………. 5 copies
Survey of Philosophy ………………………………………………. 8 copies
Basic Problems in Ethics’2 …………………………………………… 5 copies
The Thought of Kropotkin ………………………………………….. 30 copies
Studies of the New Russia’3…………………………………………. 30 copies
The Worker-Peasant Government and China’4 ………………………… 30 copies
A Newly Punctuated Water Margin ………………………………… 30 copies
Hu Shi, A Book of Experiments219 ………………………………….. 40 copies
Hu Shi, Short Stories220 …………………………………………… 30 copies
On the Scientific Method…………………………………………… 30 copies
Superstition and the Mind221 ………………………………………. 20 copies
New Youth, Vol. VIII, No. 1 ……………………………………….. 165 copies
prices charged, which has been reprinted in Xinmin xuehui ziliao (Materials on the New People’s Study
Society) (Beijing: Renmin chubanshe, 1980), pp. 262–72. This has not been attributed to Mao, and is
therefore not reproduced here, but information from this source has been incorporated into the notes
in some cases.
Vol. vm, No. 2 ………………………………………. 155 copies
Xinchao [New Tide], Vol. II, No. 4 …………………………………. 25 copies
Gaizao [Reconstruction], Vol DI, No. 1 ……………………………… 30 copies
Xin jiaoyu [New Education], Vol. DI, No. 1 …………………………. 20 copies
Minduo [The People’s Tocsin], Vol. D, No. 1 ………………………… 35 copies
ShaonianZhongguo [Young China], Vol. D, No. 1 ……………………. 10 copies
Vol. D, No. 2 ……………………………………………….. 20 copies
Vol. D, No. 3 ……………………………………………….. 20 copies
Shaonian shijie [Young World], Vol. I, Numbers 7, 8,9, each ………….. 15 copies
Laodongjie [Labor World], Nos. 1–9, each …………………………… 130 copies
Xin shenghuo [New Life], Nos. 39 and 40, each ……………………… 150 copies
Jiating yanjiu [Studies of the Family],222 No. 1 ………………………. 40 copies
Chenbao [Morning Post], First sales………………………………… 12 copies
Now ……………………………………………………….. 42 copies
Shishi xinbao [China Times], First sales……………………………… 28 copies
Now ……………………………………………………….. 65 copies
(DI) Expenses and Profit
1. Expenses
Start-up equipment and miscellaneous items………………………….. 24 yuan
Rent…………………………………………………………….. 8 yuan
Food ……………………………………………………………. 22 yuan
Postage………………………………………………………….. 25 yuan
Printing………………………………………………………….. 13 yuan
Paper …………………………………………………………… 9 yuan
Total…………………………………………………………….. 101 yuan
1. Income …………………………………………………… 136 yuan
2. Income minus expenses equals net profit ……………………… 35… yuan
(Note) The acting manager, one salesman, two delivery persons, one cook-and-errand person receive no wages.
The above is a brief account of the circumstances of the preparatory and interim
business periods. As soon as an official manager is elected at the first business meeting,
he will be in full charge. This report covers the period from the inaugural meeting on
August 2 through October 20.
For public perusal.
October 22,1920

--- Notes

204 October 10 was proclaimed National Day by the Beijing government’s provisional parliament in
September 1912 to commemorate the uprising on that date in 1911 which led to the founding of the
Republic of China.
205 On the Xiang-Ya or Hunan-Yale Medical School, see the note to the text of May 29, 1918.
206 Zhao Yunwen, also known as Hongjun, was well known in Hunan cultural and education circles.
At this time he was in charge of the general affairs of the Xiang-Ya Medical School.


207 Zuo Xueqian (1876–1951), zi Yizhai, a native of Changsha, was prominent in Hunan politics
in the early days of the Republic. He was active in the movement to oust Zhang Jingyao and in the
democracy movement in Hunan. At this time he was head of the Hunan Chamber of Commerce.
208 Except for Jiang Jihuan and Zuo Xueqian, they were all from cultural and education circles in
Hunan, and twelve were members of the New People’s Study Society.
209 Li Shicen (1892–1934), original name Bangfan, was born in Liling, Hunan Province. He had
studied in Japan and worked as an editor and university professor on his return. At this time he was
an editor at the Shanghai Commercial Press.
210 Yun Daiying (1895–1931), born in Hubei Province, organized the Mutual Aid Society in 1918 and
had been very active in the May Fourth movement. He was one of the prime organizers of the Chinese
Socialist Youth Corps in 1920, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
211 The enumeration of books which follows, like the longer list in the “Cultural Book Society Announcement” of November 10, 1920, was apparently compiled in haste. Some titles are accurate and
complete, but other entries may be only approximations for purposes of identification, and the books
are listed in no particular order. An important document for clarifying these matters is a much fuller
list of books sold by the Cultural Book Society, including names of authors or translators, and the

212 The master list referred to in note 7 includes 161 titles of books, 50 periodicals, and 4 newspapers.
213 According to the master list of books sold by the Cultural Book Society, the author of the work
was Feng Fei.
214 This woik, originally published in 1899 as Die Weltratsel, based its “monistic” view of the world
on Darwin. It enjoyed a considerable vogue in China at this time, and Mao evoked the name of Haeckel
in conversations with German visitors toward the end of his life.
215 In the Cultural Book Society announcement of November 10, 1920, and in the master list, Yang
Changji is shown as the author of this book. In fact, Yang had translated it from the Japanese of
Yoshida Seichi (1872–1945), a prolific writer on ethics.
216 This book, though Yang Changji is given as the author in the November announcement and the
master list, was also a translation and not an original work.
217 According to the master list, the author was Shao Piaoping.
218 According to the master list, the author is Zhang Mingfei.
219 This was a volume of Hu’s new poetry in the vernacular.
220 According to the master list, this was a volume of stories translated by Hu Shi.

221 According to the master list, the author was Chen Daqi.


222 This may or may not be the same as the Kexue jiating yanjiu (Scientific Studies of the Family)
in the other list.