Letter to Xiao Zizhang [1]

(November 1920)

Brother Zizhang:

I have received all the letters and photographs you sent me along the way and deeply appreciate your kindness. I have not written a single letter in return—my apologies to you! The results of the “Ban Song Garden Meeting” have already been brought to Europe by you and Zanzhou [2] and others, and the circumstances of the “Montargis Meeting” [3] have been relayed back to Asia by you and Zisheng [4]; Zisheng himself has returned to China and we will see each other soon. This is truly a delight! I trust you are well and still at school. In my opinion, while in France, you should delve into a field of study, choose at least one subject suited to your disposition, and thoroughly probe this subject to its depths. I have recently felt that mere general knowledge is unreliable, and deeply lament my own lack of specialized scholarly pursuit. These past two years, distracted by affairs, I have been unable to devote effort to learning and truly suffer great regret for it. I hope you will have some guidance for me. The society’s publications are divided into the “Collected Correspondence” [5] and the “Society Affairs Reports” [6];

[1] This is Mao Zedong’s reply to a letter dated June 22, 1920, from Xiao Zizhang to Mao Zedong and Peng Huang. The original letter bears no date; based on its content, Mao was then editing the Collected Correspondence of the New People’s Study Society and the Society Affairs Reports, hence it is dated November 1920.

[2] Zanzhou, i.e., Chen Shaoxiu.

[3] The Montargis Meeting refers to a meeting held in July 1920 in Montargis, France, by members of the New People’s Study Society on a work-study program there, including Cai Hesen, Xiang Jingyu, Li Weihan, Cai Chang, and Xiao Zisheng. The meeting proposed “Reforming China and the World” as the society’s guiding principle.

[4] Zisheng, i.e., Xiao Zisheng.

[5] The Collected Correspondence refers to the Collected Correspondence of the New People’s Study Society Members.

[6] The Society Affairs Reports refer to the Reports on the Affairs of the New People’s Study Society.

at least three volumes of the Collected Correspondence can be published this year. Please make an effort to collect old and new letter drafts among friends in France and mail them to me care of the “Changsha Cultural Bookshop,” to serve as materials for the fourth and fifth volumes. I shall be most grateful. (Please inform all friends that future correspondence should be addressed care of the Changsha Cultural Bookshop.)

Your younger brother, Zedong

In July 1920, members of the New People’s Study Society on a work-study program in France convened a meeting in Montargis, France, to discuss and define the society’s purpose: “Reform China and the World.” The picture shows a group photo with the attendees.