To Zhang Guojian (November 25, 1920)

■ Issues of Association Affairs
■ The Attitude Hunan People Should Adopt When Going to Southeast Asia
■ The Cultural Movement in Southeast Asia and the Nation-Building Movement in Southeast Asia

Yisheng [1],

Your two letters [2] have been received one after the other. I apologize for not replying sooner! Regarding the six points on association affairs [3] you mentioned, I generally agree with all of them. On the first point, the publication of an association journal, it has now been decided to issue two types: a collection of members’ correspondence and reports on association affairs. On the second point, the admission of new members should be handled with seriousness. On the third point, there should be no distinctions based on gender, age, or other factors when admitting members. I recall that during the summer in Shanghai, I discussed this with Kunfu, Zanzhou, Zizhang, Yinbai, Wangcheng, Yun’an, Dunxiang, Jiru, Yusheng, and others at the Bansongyuan meeting [4]. After returning to Changsha, I further consulted with the Changsha members. Most held that the admission of members should meet the following three conditions: (1) purity, (2) sincerity, and (3) a progressive spirit. Additionally, there must be five sponsors, and approval must be granted by the review board, after which a formal notice should be issued to all members. This aligns precisely with your proposal. (Comrades in the Southeast Asia region should, of course, be contacted as well.) On the fourth point, securing a fixed location for the association is also an important matter. Before long, we must find a suitable meeting place in Changsha. The establishment of libraries and reference materials is related to members’ research. Changsha, Paris, and Southeast Asia should each set up their own facilities, with the expenses borne separately by the members in each location. On the fifth point, regarding the raising of funds, I believe that as long as members pay their annual dues in full, ordinary expenses will be sufficiently covered. Beyond that, only the printing of the correspondence collection and the association affairs reports will require funds, but these costs are not large and can be temporarily shared among the members. The membership directory will be printed within the association affairs report, and one volume should be publishable within this year. The organization of the Southeast Asia News Agency is extremely important. However, I have one opinion regarding Hunan people going to Southeast Asia: Hunan people going to Southeast Asia should follow the intent of Mr. Li Shizeng [5] and others when they introduced students to France—adopting a globalist perspective rather than a colonial policy. Globalism means wishing well for oneself and also wishing well for others; in plain terms, it is the principle of wishing good for all. Colonial policy means wishing well only for oneself and not for others; in plain terms, it is a policy of benefiting oneself at the expense of others. If one adheres to globalism, there is no place where one cannot find acceptance—Li Shizeng and others are an example. If one adheres to colonial policy, there is no place where one can find acceptance—the Japanese are an example. Southeast Asia is culturally underdeveloped, and Hunan people going there should take it as their duty to promote cultural development. If you and others can carry out a new cultural movement in Southeast Asia, channeling the new culture emerging domestically into Southeast Asia, the people of Southeast Asia (not just the overseas Chinese) will benefit greatly. Furthermore, the nation-building movement in Southeast Asia urgently needs to be initiated. If there are people of resolve who engage in this movement, rescuing tens of millions of helpless people from misery and bringing them to peace and prosperity, what greater undertaking could surpass this? In my opinion, many of our members should go to Southeast Asia to engage in educational and cultural movements. Once these efforts yield results, they should then proceed to connect with overseas Chinese, indigenous peoples, and various sectors across different regions to advocate for nation-building. World unity must be based on the self-determination of all nations. If the nations of Southeast Asia can achieve self-determination, that will be one condition for advancing world unity. When you have time, I hope you will write often.

Your younger brother,
Zedong

November 25, Year 9 (1920)

Published based on the original text in the second volume of the *Xinmin Society Members’ Correspondence Collection*, printed in December 1920.

**Notes**
[1] Yisheng, i.e., Zhang Guojian. See Note 7 on p. 468 of this book.
[2] Refers to Zhang Guojian’s two letters to Mao Zedong: one dated May 23, 1920, concerning the affairs of the Xinmin Society, and the other dated September 19, 1920, concerning the organization of the Southeast Asia News Agency.
[3] Refers to the six points of opinion on the Xinmin Society mentioned in Zhang Guojian’s letter to Mao Zedong dated May 23, 1920. The general ideas are: 1. The society should publish a journal to facilitate the exchange of academic research results; 2. The admission of new members must be recommended by at least four existing members and approved by the chairman and the review board; 3. The society should pursue genuine liberation and break down barriers; new members should not be distinguished by age, gender, place of origin, or educational background, but their thinking must align with the society’s purpose; 4. The society should have a fixed meeting place and purchase more books, newspapers, and magazines for members to read; 5. Funds for the society should be raised through various means, such as annual dues and special donations; 6. A membership directory should be compiled and printed to facilitate regular communication.
[4] Kunfu, i.e., Xiong Guangchu. See Note 9 on p. 20 of this book. Zanzhou, i.e., Chen Shaoxiu. See Note 5 on p. 29 of this book. Zizhang, i.e., Xiao San. See Note 4 on p. 17 of this book. Yinbai, i.e., Peng Huang. See Note 1 on p. 427 of this book. Wangcheng, i.e., Liu Mingyan (1899–1977), also known as Ruoyun, a native of Anhua, Hunan. He was a classmate of Mao Zedong at the Hunan First Normal School. In 1920, he went to France on a work-study program and returned to China in 1921. He later served as Secretary-General of the CPC Manchuria Provincial Committee. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he served as Deputy Director of the Hunan Research Institute of Culture and History and Director of the Office of the *Hunan Provincial Chronicles* Compilation Committee. Yun’an, i.e., Wei Bi. See Note 6 on p. 468 of this book. Dunxiang, i.e., Zhou Dunxiang. See Note 6 on p. 468 of this book. Jiru, i.e., Lao Junzhan. See Note 6 on p. 468 of this book. Yusheng, i.e., Ouyang Ze. See Note 1 on p. 551 of this book.
[5] Li Shizeng, i.e., Li Yuying, a native of Gaoyang, Hebei. He studied in France during the late Qing Dynasty and joined the Tongmenghui in Paris. Later, together with Cai Yuanpei and others, he initiated the Diligent Work and Frugal Study Program in France. In 1916, he collaborated with some French individuals to establish the Sino-French Education Association, serving as its secretary, and advocated for the work-study program in France. During the Northern Expedition, he was elected a member of the Kuomintang Central Committee. Later, he supported Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-communist purge. In 1956, he settled in Taipei and later died of illness.