Letter to Wen Bingzhang[I]
(October 10, 1951)

Comrade Bingzhang:

Your letter of July 5 has been received, thank you. People from the countryside have come and said that your family’s living conditions have seen some improvement. You may set your mind at ease and work in the army. This is my reply.

Wishing you progress.

Mao Zedong
October 10, 1951

[I] Wen Bingzhang (1920–1973), a native of Tangjiatuo, Daping Village, Daping Township, Shaoshan City, Hunan Province (then part of Xiangxiang), was a maternal cousin of Mao Zedong. At the time, Wen Bingzhang was serving in the communications company of the Air Defense Command of the Guangdong Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. He transferred to civilian work in 1954 and later worked at the Beijing Synthetic Fiber Factory.