According to the source, Li Sian was an old acquaintance of Mao's, and a member of
the Xinmin xuehui (New People’s Study Society) that Mao and others formed in the
early 1910s. He was a member of the staff at the Hunan Province Historical and Cultural Studies Institute,

Mr, Sian:

I have received your two letters and am very gratified and elated to hear
from you. I agree that you should come to Beijing. If you wish to enter, with
our classmates Jiang Zhuru' and others, the University of the Revolution to
study for a period, you may enroll there. Otherwise some other plans for your
work will be made. When you come you should bring this letter with you to
contact Director Li Weihan of the United Front Department of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of China’ and discuss with him the problem of your enrollment or employment.

In reply and with my respect,
Mao Zedong
January 14
Notes

1 Jiang was a classmate of Mao's when Mao studied at the First Normal School of Hunan, For
More on Jiang, see text Nov. 25, 1958(2}, note 12

2. See text Feb. 18, 1951, note 3. For more biographical information on Li Weihan, see text
Apr 9.1951, source note,