Letter to Huang Yanpei
(September 17, 1956)
Mr. Ren Zhi:
I have received the album of paintings and calligraphy, the narrative poem, and three other poems. My heartfelt thanks! Is Mr. Zhang experiencing any financial difficulties? If he would be willing to accept assistance, please let me know.

With best regards,
Mao Zedong
September 17



The “album” refers to a collection of paintings and calligraphy created by Zhang Shutong, a painter at the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy, which was presented to Mao Zedong through Huang Yanpei. In a letter dated September 9, 1956, sent along with the album and poems for Mao Zedong, Huang Yanpei wrote: “The Eighth National Congress is about to convene, and this period must be very tense. Hoping to alleviate some of the strain, I respectfully offer you this album of paintings and calligraphy. May it bring you a moment of relaxation in your spare time and perhaps lend a touch of ease to your bearing. This album was completed over the course of a year by an eighty-year-old master painter, each piece accompanied by his own postscript. I have also composed a long classical poem on it as an introduction. He and I were colleagues in journalism for twenty years. During the War of Resistance, he endured great hardships, and his patriotic zeal is truly admirable. Though skilled in painting, he rarely produces works, cherishing his ink as if it were gold. Recently, however, he created these pieces in response to the widespread praise from rural areas and the industrial and commercial sectors directed toward the leadership—praise sparked by various new policies, particularly the fixed interest rate of five percent, which has brought joy to large, medium, and small enterprises alike. He wrote them with utmost sincerity. I am submitting them on his behalf and would be grateful for your guidance; my poem is enclosed for your consideration.”
[2]
Upon receiving Mao Zedong’s letter, Huang Yanpei replied to him on September 19 of the same year, informing him that Zhang Shutong was living in poverty and that the Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Literature and History provided him with a monthly stipend of 50 yuan. Huang believed that if the government were to extend its care to Zhang, he would accept it. On December 16 of the same year, Mao Zedong wrote to Huang Yanpei, asking him to forward 500 yuan to Zhang Shutong.