Letter to Tan Shiying[1]
(May 1, 1955)

Brother Shiying:

Your letter dated the 28th day of the twelfth month of last year’s lunar calendar has been received and read. I deeply sympathize with your difficult circumstances. I am sending you three hundred yuan Renminbi as a mere drop in the bucket of assistance. Should you have further needs, I hope you will write again. Being advanced in years, traveling away from home entails considerable inconvenience, and it would seem better not to make any move. If your health is good and your spirits high, you may also go out and take a look. This is my reply.

Respectfully wishing you well-being and wisdom.

Mao Zedong
May 1, 1955

Note
[1] Tan Shiying, a classmate of Mao Zedong when they studied at Dongshan School in Xiangxiang County, Hunan Province.