A Letter to Li Lisan[1]

(November 28, 1929)

Brother Lisan:

It has been a long time since I last wrote to you. I only learned about your situation when Comrade Chen Yi came. I have been seriously ill for three months, and although I have recovered now, I have not fully regained my strength. Kaihui and Anying[2] are often in my thoughts. I would like to write to them, but I do not know their mailing address. I heard that Zemin[3] is in Shanghai. Please inform him on my behalf and ask him to tell me Kaihui’s mailing address and to write to me.

I am suffering from an extreme intellectual famine. Please send me books and newspapers regularly, and I would be even more grateful if you could take the time to write and offer guidance. Duxiu’s recent actions[4] are truly outrageous. The central authorities’ refutation documents have arrived here, and we shall disseminate them widely.

With communist salutations,

Mao Zedong

Postal address: “ ”[5].

[1] Li Lisan (1899–1967), a native of Liling, Hunan Province, was then a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Propaganda Department.

[2] Kaihui refers to Yang Kaihui (1901–1930), a native of Changsha, Hunan Province, Mao Zedong’s wife, who joined the Communist Party of China in 1921. Anying refers to Mao Anying, Mao Zedong’s eldest son.

[3] Zemin refers to Mao Zemin (1896–1943), a native of Xiangtan, Hunan Province, Mao Zedong’s younger brother, who was then in charge of the work of the Publication Department of the CPC Central Committee.

[4] This refers to Chen Duxiu’s anti-Party activities at the time, such as spreading Trotskyite views and forming factional organizations within the Party.

[5] In the extant copy of this letter, the space inside the quotation marks is blank.