Letter to Zhou Shizhao [1] (October 4, 1955)  Brother Dunyuan: I received your kind letter long ago and have read it with great interest.
I apologize for my delayed reply.
I am very grateful for having been shown the posthumous works of Cheng Songwan [2], and please convey my thanks to Mr. Cao Zigǔ [3]. As for the items requiring collation, I will write about them at my leisure; unfortunately, I have not yet been able to attend to this matter in recent days.
I found your various poems most engaging and have composed a responding verse, which I respectfully submit for your guidance and criticism.
The vast spring river lingers awhile, then once more I climb the tiered peaks, my gaze unfolding.
A wind rises over the green oasis, driving waves before it; rain pours down from the verdant plains, mounting toward the hills.
Around the wine cup, our laughter and conversation remain unchanged; yet how pitiful are the petty squabbles beyond our borders!
Do not lament that youthful years slip away so easily—after thirty years, I shall still stand upon the Hexi Terrace [4].  Wishing you continued good health.
Mao Zedong  October 4, 1955  Printed from the manuscript.
Included in Selected Letters and Telegrams of Mao Zedong.
Notes [ ]  [1] Zhou Shizhao, courtesy name Dunyuan, was at the time Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education and Principal of the First Normal School of Hunan Province.  [2] Cheng Songwan, a native of Ningxiang County in Hunan, was a poet of the late Qing dynasty.

[3] Cao Zigǔ, a native of Changsha, Hunan, served after the founding of the People’s Republic as a member of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and as Vice Director of the Hunan Provincial Institute for the Study of Literature and History.  [4] The Hexi Terrace is one of the ancillary buildings of the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Hunan.