Letter to Liu Songlinshan
(August 4, 1957)
Siqi:
Your letter has been received. I’m very glad you’ve returned.
The matter of transferring schools is a good one. You should make the decision yourself and submit an application to the relevant authorities; if it is approved, that will be fine. If it is not approved, you may still go to the Soviet Union and switch to a humanities major—there’s no need to worry if it takes a bit longer. In any case, you must take charge of this yourself and refrain from applying in your parents’ name. Please take note of this.
Wishing you continued progress,
Father
August 4th
[1] Liu Songmu, originally named Liu Siqi, married Mao Zedong’s son Mao Anying in October 1949. Mao Anying was killed in action during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in November 1950. In 1955, Liu Songlin went to the Soviet Union to study in the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics at Moscow State University. During the summer vacation of 1957, she returned home to handle the transfer procedures. In October of the same year, she transferred to the Department of Russian Language and Literature at Peking University.