Letter to Li Dingming1
(April 29, 1944)
Venerable Mr. Dingming,
In the past several years, many people have borrowed the Historical Romance of
Yongchang [Yongchang yanyi] to read. I read it recently and benefited a great
deal from it. I have also made a copy of it for future use. The author, Mr. Li
Jianhou,2 expended great effort in writing this book. Please extend my heartfelt
respect to him. This book praises Li Zicheng’s personal moral character but
belittles the entire movement. As a matter of fact, peasant wars have been the
main force in pushing our society forward in the past more than two thousand
years since the Qin dynasty. The great peasant war led by General Li Zicheng,
the Dashun emperor, is one very well-known example among the scores of wars
of this kind in the past two thousand years. This movement started in northern
Shaanxi and indeed it is to the glory of the people of Shaanxi. It is particularly to
the glory of you and the author, Mr. Jianhou. If the book can be revised according
to the above-mentioned new conception of history, it would be very useful in
educating the people, but I do not know whether the author would agree to this.
Also, how has Mr. Jianhou’s health been recently? Would he be able to visit
Yan’an? Please remember me to Mr. Jianhou.
Best wishes!
Mao Zedong
Notes

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong shuxin xuanji, pp. 230–31, where it is reproduced from the
manuscript.
1. Li Dingming, a member of the “enlightened gentry,” was at this time vice chair of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government. See above, note to the text of October 25, 1942.
2. Li Jianhou (1894–1952) was a member of the Border Region Political Council. His book was finally
published in Chongqing by Xinhua Publishing House in 1984 under the pen-name Li Baozhong.