Zhang Yuanji (aka. Zhang Jusheng, Zhang Xiaozai) (1886-1969) is perhaps modern
China's most famous bibliophile, A young scholar at the time of the Sino-Japanese
War of 1894-95. he became imbued with the ideas of political reform, and was, with
Kung Youwei, Huang Zunxian, Tan Sitong and Liang Qichao, one of the chief advisors
w the Guangew Emperor in the ill-fated “Hundred Days” Reform of 1898. After that
he was banned from political or bureaucratic service and turned his attention to edie
cation and scholarship. In 1902, he became the principal of Nanyang gongxue (South
Seas Public School), which was the forerunner of Jiaotong University. This academy,
which emphasized foreign language education, put Zhang in touch with the subject of
translation and with the concept of expanding the traditional Chinese curriculum to
cover textbooks on modern subjects, Zhang became dedicated to these issues for the
rest of his life. His enthusiasm carried over tv his directorship of the Commercial
Press, which he helped to build into the largest publishing house in Chine, cine in
Which he emphasized publishing textbook series on all subjects for all levels of education, something for which that publisher has become world-famous. He also devoted
tw the collection and reprinting of rare books and such major and intimidating
evetonn of Chinese documents as the Siku quanshu (Complete Books of the Four
reasuries). With the aid of Cai Yuanpel, Zhang also brought together the most
renowned private collectian of Chinese books, known as the Hanfenlou library, After
- War against Japan. Zhang, by then a senior Chinese scholar, became disillusioned
th the policies of the KMT and was persuaded to take the side of the CPC. As the
n of the Academia Sinica, of which he became a member in 1948, he hed much
fae ¢ on the Chinese intellectuals who remained on the mainland after 1949. At the
Com this letter, Zhang was a member of the East China Military and Administrative
; itee, the director of the Literature and Historical Shuties Bureaw of Shanghai
Mnicipality, and a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC. For more bie-
¥Pophical information on Zhang, see H. Boorman et al,, eds. (1967), 1, pp. 138-140.

KA B


206 | MAO ZEDONG

Mr. Jusheng:'
Your letters of December 30 last year and April 1S and May 21 fof;
year] and your enclosed masterpiece and your book have all been received.
Thank you for your kind thoughts, The poem “Jixue xichui” (Snow Drift
the Western Frontier) is extremely well written, As a result of the signing of
the agreements’ our troops will be in Lhasa soon, I am greatly gratified to
know that you are recovering from your illness.
In reply, and with respectful wishes for your health and well-being,
Mao Zedong

July 30, 1951

Notes

1. This is Zhang's zi, or honorific name. See text Oct. 15, 1949, note 1. for an explanation of
this usage.
2. This refers to the Agreements on the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. See text May 24,
source note.