Notes on Reviewing the Draft of the Second Volume of Li LiuRu’s “Sixty Years of Change” [1] (October 6, 1959) Comrade Dingyi [2]: Would you please designate a comrade of relatively high calibre to take a look at this book?
Mao Zedong October 6 Based on the manuscript copy.
Li LiuRu had formerly served as a secretary in Mao Zedong’s office and was at that time an executive member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. [2] These remarks were written on a letter dated October 4, 1959, which Li LiuRu addressed to Mao Zedong.
The letter read: “I am hereby submitting the draft of the second volume of my novel ‘Sixty Years of Change’ for your review.
Should you be too busy, I would respectfully request that you appoint a secretary comrade to examine the latter half of the volume, as well as the ten or so pages numbered 40–, 273–2. I also earnestly solicit your instructions.”
The second volume of the lengthy historical novel “Sixty Years of Change” begins with the rule of the Beiyang warlords and extends to the failure of the Great Revolution.
The portion specifically requested for review in the letter pertains mainly to the sections concerning Mao Zedong. [3] Lu Dingyi was at that time Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.