Seven-Character Regulated Verse: In Response to Comrade Zhou Shizhao [1]
(October 1955)
The vast spring river lingers for a while,
Then I climb yet another peak, and my gaze opens wide.
A wind rises over the green oasis, driving waves away;
Rain pours down from the verdant plains, ascending the mountains.
Around the wine cup [2], we chat and laugh as of old,
Yet how pitiful are the petty squabbles beyond our borders!
[3]
Do not lament that youthful years [4] slip by so swiftly;
After thirty years, I have once again reached Hexi Terrace.
[1]
Zhou Shizhao was at that time the Deputy Director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Education and also the principal of Hunan Provincial No. 1 Normal School.
[2]
“Before the cup” means “before the wine cup”; “cup” is used interchangeably with “bowl.” Thus, “before the cup” refers to being at the banquet table.
[3]
“The trivial disputes beyond our borders are truly lamentable”: Certain international affairs are as insignificant as the minuscule gains and losses between chickens and insects, and it is indeed sad that people engage in such petty power struggles over them. The specific reference here remains uncertain. In Du Fu’s poem “Tying Up a Chicken,” we read: “The little servant ties up a chicken to take to market, but the tied bird flaps wildly, crying out in protest. At home, we raise chickens to eat insects and ants; we never imagined that the very chicken we sell would end up being cooked for dinner. What difference is there between insects and chickens in the eyes of man? I, an old man, untie the rope for the boy. Yet the endless cycle of gain and loss between chicken and insect knows no end. Gazing out over the cold river, I lean against the mountain pavilion.”
[4]
“Young years” refers to one’s prime, one’s youth.
[5]
Hexi Terrace is located within the Yuelu Academy on Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan Province. Zhu Xi once described the summit of Yuelu Mountain as “bright and radiant,” hence the name “Hexi.” Later, the platform atop the mountain came to be known as Hexi Terrace. During the Qing dynasty, since the original terrace had been destroyed, the plaque reading “Hexi Terrace” was hung on the front hall of Yuelu Academy, after which the front hall itself was renamed Hexi Terrace. “Hexi” connotes a state of great brightness and splendor.

Seven-Character Regulated Verse: In Response to Comrade Zhou Shizhao
Handwritten by Mao Zedong.

On October 30, 1955, Mao Zedong, together with He Long, watched a football match between the Chinese national team and Zenit Leningrad of the Soviet Union. The photo shows Mao and others greeting all the players after the game.