A Poem Presented to Members of the Central Standing Committee While on Mount Lu [1] (September 16, 1961) Ascending high, one beholds the grandeur of heaven and earth; The mighty river flows onward, never to return. Yellow clouds stretch for ten thousand li, stirring the winds; White waves divide into nine streams, cascading down the snowy mountains. These are lines from Li Bai’s Ballad of Mount Lu. Having climbed Mount Lu and gazed upon the Yangtze River, I write these verses to present them to my fellow comrades of the Central Standing Committee. Mao Zedong September 16, 1961 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] From August 23 to September 16, 1961, the CPC Central Committee held a working conference on Mount Lu to discuss issues related to industry, grain production, finance and trade, and education. During the meeting, Mao analyzed the economic situation at the time, noting that problems had surfaced and were now reversing course; he observed that conditions had reached a low point and were steadily improving day by day. On the final day of the conference, he penned four lines from the Tang poet Li Bai’s “Ballad of Mount Lu, Sent to Officer Lu Xizhou,” presenting them to each member of the Central Standing Committee.