Letter Concerning Work Arrangements for Jing Siyou[1]

(September 8, 1951)

Comrade Daoheng:

I am forwarding a letter from Jing Siyou for your review. Regarding the matter he describes of disrespect shown toward him in the countryside of Xupu, please investigate and handle it as appropriate. After the 1911 Revolution, Jing served as an English teacher at our school. What he has done over the past forty years and whether he has had any connections with the Kuomintang reactionaries—I am completely unaware. Please inquire with Cheng Songyun, Cheng Xingling,[2] and others, as well as the Yuanling Prefectural Committee, and decide whether to assist him in resolving his work issue in Changsha. As for his request to go to Japan, there is no such possibility at present. With this, I extend

Salutations

Mao Zedong

September 8

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Mr. Jing:

I have respectfully read your esteemed letter of August 22. The situation in the countryside you described merits attention, and I have forwarded your letter to the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China for investigation and handling. Regarding the matter of your going out to work, the Hunan Provincial Committee should also provide assistance as circumstances permit. If you are interested, you may correspond and consult with Comrade Liu Daoheng, head of the United Front Work Department of the Hunan Provincial Committee. This is my reply.

With respectful regards

Mao Zedong

September 8, 1951

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Notes:

[1] Jing Siyou had studied in Japan, served as an advisor to Li Zongren, and was chairman of the Hunan Provincial Constitutional Convention. At the time, he was living at home without employment. After 1951, he served as a staff member of the Hunan Provincial Research Institute of Culture and History.

[2] Cheng Songyun, namely Cheng Qian, was then a member of the Central People's Government and vice chairman of the Central-South Military and Administrative Committee. Cheng Xingling was then vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial People's Government.