Letter to Yang Lingde

(January 22, 1939)

Mr. Lingde:

Your esteemed letter of December 24 has been duly received. Regarding the matter of your nephew being wronged[2], I am gratified that it has been possible to invite your understanding. Should you be pleased to come to Yan’an for a visit, you would be most welcome.

With this, salutations in the War of Resistance!

Mao Zedong

January 22

[1] Yang Lingde (1905–1985), a native of Togtoh County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was at the time a journalist for Ta Kung Pao stationed in Yulin, Shaanxi.

[2] This refers to the incident in which Yang Lingde’s nephew, Yuan Chenying, was mistakenly detained in early 1938.