1. Letter to the Xiangxiang County Committee (May 17, 1955)

Tan Shiying of Shidong Township was a schoolmate of mine more than forty years ago at the Dongshan School in Xiangxiang. Since liberation he has written to me several times, and I have written back a few letters in reply; because he said he was in difficulty, I recently sent him a little money as well. Lately, suffering from an eye ailment, he went to Hankou to seek treatment from Comrade Tan Zheng; Tan was not there, so he came to Beijing to find me. He is now in hospital having his eyes treated and will return home in two or three weeks. I have urged him to heed properly the guidance of the Party and government cadres of his district and township. According to him, two of his sons were executed by firing squad three years ago during the campaign to suppress counter-revolutionaries—one a battalion commander, the other a platoon commander—and were, it is said, executed for blood debts. He himself was also deprived of his civil rights and placed under control for one year; the control has now been lifted, but he still cannot join the peasants' association. His wife and his other two sons, however, possess civil rights and have joined the peasants' association. He says his class status is poor peasant. He also says that he has taught school for several decades and only twenty-seven years ago served for five months as a clerk in the Kuomintang's Shaoyang County government, and that he did nothing bad. I am entirely unclear about this man's history, and I would be grateful if you would look into it and inform me. I wish you success in your work.

Mao Zedong
May 17, 1955

2. Reply to Tan Shiying (June 8, 1955)

Brother Shiying:

Your letter of June 4 and the poem you enclosed have been received—many thanks! I approve of your returning home within the next few days. The CCP Xiangxiang County Committee sent me a letter (the township branch also sent one), giving some account of your family's situation. They state: your two sons were indeed guilty, because they continued to commit crimes even after being leniently released several times, and committed serious offenses. Therefore it was proper for the government and the people to deal with them according to law. As for you, you have only certain shortcomings carried over from the old society and acted somewhat improperly in your attitude toward your two sons, and so you were placed under control for one year, which has now been lifted. The County Committee's letter holds that you are guilty of no other crime. I consider the County Committee's appraisal of you to be fair. You should look at the question in the light of the fundamental change between the old society and the new, and gradually transform your thinking and your feelings. In this way you can take a more open view of things, correct some of your shortcomings, and urge your whole family to work hard at production. The most important thing is to obey the government's laws and decrees and to heed the cadres. In this way, after a few years, people's attitude toward you will improve. If you think it necessary, you may show this letter to the responsible comrades of the county, district, and township. I wish you peace and safety!

Mao Zedong
June 8, 1955