Letter to Party Branch and xiang Government
of Shicheng xiang

(April 29, 1954)

Source: Shuxin, pp. 481-482.

Comrades of the Shicheng xiang Branch {of the CPC] and of the xiang Gov-
Mment of Shicheng xiang:
irade Mao Yueqiu' came to Beijing with your report. I am very grate-

ful.

i Some of my relatives of the Wen family of Tangjiaduo have come to Bei-
Ne to see me in the past several years.’ Some of them, on returning home,
Ye become arrogant and would not accept the supervision of the govern-



ment; this is wrong of them. The people of the Wen family, no may a".
ought to be like everyone else in the village; they should obey the feags
of the Party and the government, work diligently in theit farming, and gp
the law; there should be nothing special about them. [ ask you not to f
because those of the Wen family are my relatives, therefore it may not fy
to control them as you wish. My attitude (toward this matter] is: Figg
they are [members of] the laboring people, and are my relatives, | cape
them; second, because I care about them, | hope that they will make ppp
that they will work diligently in their farming and observe the law, 9
will take part in the mutual aid and cooperative organizations. In all th
Ought to be exactly like everyone else and may not behave at all speonal
they behave in any backward manner, they ought to be criticized, They s
not be spared the criticism of their failings and errors simply because gf
my relatives.

Here I have a letter from Comrade Wen Bingzhang,’ which 1 ened
your perusal. | am in agreement with Comrade Wen Bingzhang’s ¢
please handle it. Please also show this letter of mine and that of Wen
zhang to the people of Tangjiaduo so as to help them correct t ai
and mistakes. | believe that as long as both you and | take the correct j
and as long as they are not stubbom in their opinion, their short
mistakes can be rectified and they can make progress.

In comradely salute,

Mao Zedong
April 29, 1954

Notes
1, Soe text Oct. 4, 1953.

2. See text May 7, 1950, text May 12, 1950. and text Det. 25, 1953.
3. According to the source, Wen Bingzhang ts Mao's nephew