To Xu Teli
(January 30, 1937)
Old Comrade Xu:
You were my teacher twenty years ago, you are still my teacher today, and you
are sure to remain my teacher in the future.¹ When the revolution failed, many
Communist Party members left the Communist Party and some even went over
to the enemy's side; yet you joined the Communist Party in the autumn of 1927
and adopted an extremely positive attitude. In the long years of hard struggle
from that time on, you have been more active, less fearful of difficulties, and
more eager to learn new things, than many of the young and middle-aged comrades. What people call "old age," "body and mind in bad shape," and "difficulties and impediments" all capitulate before you. What about in other people's
presence? These things are used as excuses for being intimidated and flinching.
You understand so much, yet have always considered your knowledge inadequate, unlike some people who are actually only "half-full, yet like to "spill
out' all over the place. Whatever you have in your mind is what you say and do,
whereas with some people, there is always something filthy hidden in some
corner of the mind. At all times, you are one with the masses, whereas it seems
that some people are happiest only when divorced from the masses. You have
proved yourself in every way as a model in observing the discipline of the Party
and the revolution, whereas it seems that some people believe that discipline
applies only to others but not to themselves. You put the revolution, work, and
others in first place, but some people put fame, rest, or themselves in first place.
In general, you choose to do difficult tasks and never shirk responsibilities,
whereas some people are only willing to do easy tasks and shirk responsibility at
the moment when it is called for. I admire you for all these qualities, wish to
continue to learn from you, and wish for all Party members to learn from you. I
am writing to congratulate you on your sixtieth birthday and wish that you enjoy
good health and longevity and become a model for all revolutionary Party members and the entire people. I offer you a revolutionary salute!
Mao Zedong


Our source for this telegram is Dierci guogong hezuo de xingcheng, p. 182, where it is
reproduced from the original in the Central Archives.


1. The time at which this telegram was dispatched is indicated by a character
signifying between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M.


Our source for this text is Mao Zedong shuxin xuanji, pp. 98-99, where it is reproduced
from the manuscript.


1. Xu Teli had been Mao's teacher at First Normal School in Changsha in
1913-1918. (See Volume I, p. 372 note 26.)