Letter to Hu Qiaomu
(July 1, 1958)
Comrade Qiaomu:
Unable to sleep, I have written two propaganda poems[1] to commemorate the campaign against schistosomiasis. Please discuss with the literary editors of the People’s Daily to see whether they can be used. If there are any revisions needed, please let me know. If they are suitable, could they be published in the People’s Daily tomorrow or the day after, so as not to let the momentum cool down? The fight against schistosomiasis is a tough battle. Certain phrases in the poems—such as “sitting on the ground,” “patrolling the heavens,” “red rain,” and “three rivers”—may be difficult for some readers to understand; we need not worry about them. Later, it may be necessary to provide a brief explanation.
Chuan
Refers to “Two Seven-Character Regulated Verse Poems: Sending Off the Plague God.”
Mao Zedong
July 1

The handwritten draft of Mao Zedong’s letter to Hu Qiaomu.