Comrade Zang Kejia and all comrades:

Your letter arrived long ago; my apologies for the late reply! As requested, I have copied out the old-style poems I can still recall, together with the eight pieces you sent, making eighteen in total, on a separate sheet for your examination and disposition.

I have never been willing to formally publish these things, because they are in the old style — I fear bad examples might spread and mislead young people; moreover, they have little poetic flavor and no particular distinction.

Since you consider them suitable for publication, and since doing so can correct errors in the several pieces already circulating in copied form, then let it be done according to your opinion.

The publication of *Poetry Journal* is very good. I wish it growth and development.

Poetry should, of course, take new poetry as its main body. Old-style poems may be written to some extent, but should not be encouraged among young people, because this form constrains thought and is not easy to learn.

These words are only for your reference.

With comradely greetings!

Mao Zedong
January 12, 1957

Source: Published according to *Selected Letters of Mao Zedong*, People's Publishing House, 1983.

Note [1]: Zang Kejia (born 1905), from Zhucheng, Shandong. At the time served as Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Writers' Association and Editor-in-Chief of *Poetry Journal*.