See text May 22, 1950, source note.

Comrade Qiaomu:

Please draft a directive in the name of the Central Committee to amend our
shortcomings in the practice of sending telegram messages. For example: we
should no longer use such words as zi, chou, ren, mou, dong, dong, jiang, ji,
etc., in lieu of the month and date.' Instead, we should write down the complete month and date [of the telegram], as, for instance, November 22, In general, for the signature we should use our full names, and not write the last
{family} name and not the first [personal] name. In only those cases where the
receiver of the message is entirely aware of the person [who sent the message]
would it be permissible to use the last name without the first, such as
“Liu-Deng,” "Chen-Rao,” etc.’ For locales and the titles of the offices or
Organs [from which the telegrams are sent], they should in general be written
out completely, and only in extremely rare cases would it be permissible to
use such [traditional] provincial designations as Jing, Jin, Hu, Han.’ Also, in
= of syntax we must learn to be grammatical and must ban the practice of

Ming the subject, or the predicate, or other indispensable nouns, and
their We use adjectives and adverbs we should be able to distinguish between
“I Usage and character, Please take the lead in this matter and write up a
liminary draft and then invite Yang Shangkun, Li Tao, Qi Yanming, Xue
Moc. : and other comrades whom you believe to be necessary to be invited
» t0in in this endeavor], hold one or two meetings with them and revise [the
Vand give it more substance, then send it to me for my perusal.
Mao Zedong
November 22




Notes

1. Zi, chow, ren and mow are the first 4 of the 12 di ji (or earth branches) im the duode
cycle. This cycle is combined in permutation with the decimal cycle known as the tiangvan (His
enly Cardinals) cycle to make up the sesagenary cycle which is used in tradithonal Chins to dey
nate the years and other elements of time. This sexagenury cycle is also known as the /iazy gy)
(taking the first ofeach cycle) and the gemyi system: The decimal system is alsa used for de
ing common serial things stich as grades, while the duodecimal cycle is commonly used taj
nate hour periods in the day. Dong, dong, jiang, 1 are the first four of the rhyme keys f yun»
the ping segment of the conventional rhyming patterns for Chinese traditional poetry. In the
when the Chinese sent telegrams, they would conventionally use the daodectmal cycke's Mem
sequence tu Indicate the twelve months, and the rhyme Keys to represent the dates will
month

2. According to the source, Liu-Deng stands for Liu Bocheng and Deny Xiaoping, and Che
Rao for Chen Yi and Rac Shushi. For more biographical information on Liu, Chen and Ras
text Sept. 11, 1959, note 14, text Get 11, 1955 (1), mate 53. and deat Mar, 31, 1955. po
respectively

3. Jing stands for Beijing, Jin for Thanjin; Hu ts the common name for Shanghai, and
refers to Hankou

4, Yang Shangktie was at this time the director of the General Office of the Central Comm
of the CPC: for more information of Yang, see text May 19, 1953, source ne.

Li Tao (1905-1970) was, according to the source. a deputy director of the Combat
Department of the Miliary Council at the (ime of the writing of this letter, Li Was a ve
Red Army since the bate 1920s and served as a political officer in Peng Dehuai's Thind Ar
Corps and then the Fiet Froot Army under Peng and Zhu De. During the War of Resistance,
was in Yanun and worked in the Third Office of the Central Intelligence Department, then
of the Second Bureau of the Army General Stuff. Later he directed the Operations Deparment
the Army, Shortly alter the war, Li jomed Lin Biao's staff in the Northeast Democratic,
Army. In the period after Liberation he was a spokesperson for the PLA headquarters and ser
in various positions on the People’s Revolutionary Military Council, For more biographies
mation on Li, see Zhonygorg renming fu, p. 234, and D. Klein and A. Clark, eds, (L971) 1,
S§M-S31-.

According to the source, Qi Yanming (1907-1978) was at the time of this letter the dineeidr
the Staff Office of the CPGC. A teacher by vocation. Qi joined the CPC sometime in the:
1930s amd was active in the student movement. Dering the time of the War of Resistance he #
in Yanan, atill in the capacity of a teacher, In 1949 he participated actively in the p ie
the establishment of the new government and worked with many organizations and conferen
people in the cultural, scientific, and educati¢nal circles. He became a member of the preparat
committee of the CPPCC and served later as one of the deputy sccretaries-general of the Stand
Commiti¢e of the National Committee of that body, At the same time thut he was head of the of
Office of the CPGC, he also served as a depuly secretary-general of the Government Admint
tion Council, which wos a cabinet-like organizaton under the CPGC serving as the Q
administrative Organ for state affairs (and which was later replaced by the Stare Council). Ore
also a iop-ranking leader in the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee off
CPC under Li Weihan (See yexi Feb. 18, 1951, note 3.) For more biographical information:
Oi, see Zhonggxone renmine lu, p, 867. and D. Klein and A. Clark, eds, (1971), 1, pp. 16 \

Xue Muqiie (b, 1904) is arguably the second most influential economist for the CPC iit
carly years at the PRC = the most influential being Chen Yun. Xue began his career in
mid-19306 lecturing on the ecosomic problems of China's revolitionary trensfornaat}e
Kangda im Yanan (see text May-June 1955, note 17). Soon after the War of Liberation he 100k
@ position of great responsibility in organizing the circles of economists and financial re E
prepare for setting up fiscal planning and economic policy organs of the new government. ALM
time of the writing of this letter, Xue was seeretary-general of the Finance and Economics &




the Gevernment Admiinistranien Council (with Chen Yun as ihe chairman of the
puree a oe held this post from October 149 ta August 1952, During the 19505, Xue"s
sent so was lo plan and promote the establishment of a vast network for the gathering,
pon eg and studying of coonomic and demographic statistics throughout China. Xue ts alo a
cpa 88 writer of textbouks on China's new economics and the chief CPC Party spokesowery igs coomermc policies. For more biographical information on Xue. see Zhonggone ren
eo ios3-1034, and D. Klein and A. Clark, eds, (1971), 1, pp, 370-372.
ming ™