In 1920


Marginal Note on the “Manifesto of the Communist Party of China”
(June 1958)
To speak only of a socialist revolution while omitting the democratic revolution against imperialism and feudalism is utopian. As a program for the socialist revolution, it is basically correct. However, the proposal for nationalizing land is incorrect. It failed to anticipate that national capital could undergo a peaceful transition. Even more, it did not foresee that the revolutionary form would not be a general strike, but rather a people’s liberation war led by the Communist Party—essentially a peasant war.
[I]


This marginal note by Mao Zedong was written on the “Manifesto of the Communist Party of China” as published in No. 1 of the CCP Historical Materials Bulletin, compiled and printed by the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee on June 3, 1958. The editors of the bulletin explained: This document was selected from the archives of the Comintern’s Chinese Communist delegation that were handed over to us last year by the Central Committee of the CPSU. It is not the original; rather, it is a Chinese translation made from an English version. The translator of the English text appended a note dated December 10, 1921, which reads as follows:
“Dear Comrades! This manifesto was adopted by the Communist Party of China last November. Its content constitutes merely a section on communist principles; accordingly, it was not publicly released but served instead as the standard for admitting new members. The original Chinese text could not be located here, so I have translated it from the English version. Since more than a year has passed since the manifesto was adopted, there are naturally matters requiring revision and supplementation by now. I earnestly hope that all comrades will study this manifesto carefully, for every communist should pay close attention to such an important document—the Communist Manifesto—and submit it for discussion within the communist group of the Chinese delegation to the Far Eastern Peoples’ Congress. The outcome of that discussion will then be provided to the CPC for its consideration and possible adoption.”