A Note on Studying an Article Published in the Soviet *Teachers' Newspaper*[1]
(April 16, 1962)

Comrade Kang Sheng[2]:
Please study this article[3] and determine whether it is right or wrong. Report the results to me. You may gather a few comrades to study it together.

Mao Zedong
April 16

[1] This note was written on the table of contents page of Issue No. 1010 of *Materials from the Press of Fraternal Countries and Fraternal Parties*, compiled and printed by Xinhua News Agency on April 15, 1962. This issue excerpted the article *Comrades, Think About This!* published in the Soviet *Teachers' Newspaper*.
[2] Kang Sheng, then an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy head of the Central Cultural and Education Group.
[3] Refers to the article titled *Comrades, Think About This!* published in the Soviet *Teachers' Newspaper*. The article stated: Soviet schools began lagging behind the demands of real life in the late 1930s, producing people without labor training and incapable of creating wealth. The personality cult of Stalin played a negative role in implementing comprehensive labor-technical education. By 1937, school workshops were closed, and labor classes were removed from the teaching plan, clearly deviating from the Leninist stance on educating and nurturing youth. There should have been discussions among educators about the harmful consequences of the personality cult. Regrettably, some comrades showed little concern for such discussions, and the theoretical journal of the Academy of Educational Sciences also avoided the topic. People are expecting the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and the Academy of Educational Sciences to steer educational thought onto the path of concrete struggle against the consequences of the Stalin personality cult. However, work in this regard remains insufficiently evident at present.

91

Letter to Chen Baichen[2] on Revising Six Poems[1]
(April 24, 1962)

Comrade Chen Baichen:
Please consider and revise them, then return them to me. Why don’t you seriously revise them for me once? You seem willing to write calligraphy for me. When is your journal published in May, and when is the submission deadline? Please inform me. Thank you.

Mao Zedong
April 24

[1] Refers to *Qingping Yue: The War Between Jiang and Gui* (Autumn 1929), *Caisang Zi: The Double Ninth Festival* (October 1929), *Jianzi Mulan Hua: On the Road to Guangchang* (February 1930), *Dielian Hua: From Tingzhou to Changsha* (July 1930), *Yujia Ao: Against the First Great "Encirclement and Suppression"* (Spring 1931), and *Yujia Ao: Against the Second Great "Encirclement and Suppression"* (Summer 1931). These six poems were later published in the May 1962 issue of *People's Literature*.
[2] Chen Baichen, then deputy editor-in-chief of *People's Literature*.

92

Letter to Zang Kejia[1]
(April 24 and 27, 1962)

Comrade Kejia:
I have received your several letters and am very grateful! Publishing simultaneously in two journals is not quite appropriate, as these were collected by *People's Literature*.[2] There are a few other poems that could be considered for publication in *Poetry Journal*. When is the May issue of *Poetry Journal* being typeset? Please inform me of the exact date.

The few places you carefully revised for me are well done, and I fully agree. Are there any other points that could be improved? Please take the trouble to consider and offer your guidance. I look forward to it!

Mao Zedong
April 24, 1962

Comrade Kejia:

[1] Zang Kejia, then editor-in-chief of *Poetry Journal*.
[2] Refers to over ten poems by Mao Zedong collected by comrades from the editorial department of *People's Literature*. In April 1962, Mao selected six poems from them, made slight revisions, and handed them over to *People's Literature*.