Notes on the "Biography of Zhang Lu" [1]
(December 7 and 10, 1958)

The "Biography of Zhang Lu" from Chen Shou's *Records of the Three Kingdoms*

The mass medical movement described here somewhat resembles the free medical care in our people's communes, though at that time it was conducted through theistic means. That was fine—under those circumstances, they had no choice but to rely on theistic methods. The provision of free meals at roadside inns is most interesting and set a precedent for the public canteens of our people's communes. Over a span of approximately 1,600 years, the production, consumption, and sentiments of the poor and lower-middle peasants have remained largely the same—both were poor and blank. The difference is that productive forces have advanced considerably today. Since liberation, the people have taken control of their own world under the leadership of the Communist Party. Yet, the state of being poor and blank remains similar across ancient and modern times. Therefore, this "Biography of Zhang Lu" is worth reading. Zhang Lu's grandfather, the founder of the sect, Zhang Ling—also known as Zhang Daoling—was the ancestor of that utterly reactionary Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi. The first chapter of *Water Margin* depicts the scenes at Longhu Mountain. During the Three Kingdoms period, Daoism spread nationwide as a mass movement. In the north, the most extensive revolutionary mass movement was led by the three brothers of Zhang Jiao, the General of Heaven, whose slogan was: "The Azure Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise." The Azure Heaven represented the ruling class of the Han dynasty, while the Yellow Heaven represented the peasant class. In Eastern Wu, Yu Ji also led a massive mass movement, which was a branch of Daoism at the time. Zhang Daoling and Zhang Lu belonged to the Liang-Yi sect. Historical records indicate that this sect's line was largely similar to that of the northern sect. Thereafter, throughout successive dynasties, numerous peasant revolutionary struggles of varying scales occurred. Their nature, of course, fundamentally differs from today's Marxist revolutionary movements. Yet, there is one common point: the broad strata of extremely impoverished peasants dreamed of equality, freedom, escape from poverty, and ample food and clothing. On one hand, this bore the character of the radical democratic faction of the bourgeoisie. On another hand, it carried a primitive socialist character, manifested in mutual-aid relations. On a third hand, it had a feudal character, reflected in the private ownership of small-scale farming and the feudal superstructure—from Zhang Jiao, the General of Heaven, to Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King. The most notable examples include the Manichaeism of the Song dynasty, Yang Yao, Zhong Xiang, the Mingjiao of the late Yuan dynasty, the Red Army, Xu Hongru of the Ming dynasty, Tang Sai'er, Li Zicheng, the White Lotus Sect of the Qing dynasty, the God-Worshipping Society (Taiping Heavenly Kingdom), and the Boxers. I have not studied Chinese history in depth and only have scattered impressions. My analysis of the aforementioned characteristics may contain errors. However, the point that this bore an unconscious, primitive socialist hue is certain when referring to the most impoverished masses, rather than their leaders (Zhang Jiao, Zhang Lu, Huang Chao, Fang La, Liu Futong, Han Lin'er, Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Zicheng, Hong Xiuquan, etc.). The current people's commune movement has its historical origins in China. Our national bourgeoisie did not have time to transform the upper and middle strata of the peasantry into capitalist elements. However, the reactionary alliance of imperialism and feudalism, over several decades, turned the majority of peasants into a semi-proletarian revolutionary army—that is, it created for the proletariat the greatest, most reliable, and most resolute allied force.

Mao Zedong
December 7, 1958, in Wuchang

**Note Written for the Distribution of the "Biography of Zhang Lu"**

**The "Biography of Zhang Lu"**
(From Chen Shou's *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, *Book of Wei*, Volume 9, with annotations by Pei Songzhi)

From the late Han dynasty to the present, spanning over a thousand years, circumstances have diverged as vastly as heaven and earth. Yet, from certain perspectives—for example, the poor and blank state of the poor and lower-middle peasants—there are still some similarities. The Yellow Turban Movement in the north during the late Han dynasty was extremely large in scale and was called the Way of Great Peace. In the south, the mass movement led by Yu Ji was also Daoist. In the west (the region centered on Hanzhong, covering southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan), there was the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. Historical records state that the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice and the Way of Great Peace were "largely similar," representing movements of the same line. It is also recorded that Zhang Lu and others—Zhang Ling (also known as Zhang Daoling, whose lingering influence and descendants, after over a thousand years, transformed into the utterly anti-people Zhang Tianshi Dao of Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, serving the landlord class; the first chapter of *Water Margin*, "Marshal Hong Mistakenly Releases the Demons," contains a vivid description that stirs the spirit upon reading—comrades, have you read it?), Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Lu, spanning three generations, practiced the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. The practice of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice "brought convenience and joy to the people and the Yi tribes," showing that it was greatly welcomed by the masses. Its methods included: believers contributing five pecks of rice; using theistic means to heal illnesses; establishing charity lodgings (public dormitories along major roads) where meals were free (the purpose seemingly being to attract refugees from the Guanzhong region); repairing roads (with those committing minor errors doing the work); "offenders of the law were pardoned three times before punishment was enforced" (with persuasion as the primary method); "no permanent officials were appointed, and all governance was conducted through libationers," with libationers "each leading their own followers, and those with many followers serving as head libationers" (approximating the integration of government and commune, and the combination of labor and military training, but based on a small-scale peasant economy). These points constitute the economic and political program of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice. From the mass uprising of Chen She at Daze Township (near Xuzhou) at the end of the Qin dynasty to the Boxer Movement at the end of the Qing dynasty, over two thousand years, large-scale peasant revolutionary movements in China have scarcely ever ceased. Like the rest of the world, China's history is a history of class struggle.

Mao Zedong
December 10, 1958, in Wuchang