(Comrade Mao Yuanxin is the son of the martyr Mao Zemin and a graduate of the Harbin Military Engineering Institute.)

Previously, I served as a primary school principal, a middle school teacher, and was also a member of the Central Committee, and even served as a minister in the Kuomintang. But when I went to the countryside and stayed with the peasants, I deeply felt that the peasants know a great many things and have very rich knowledge. I am not as good as they are, and I should learn from them. At the very least, you are not a member of the Central Committee, are you? How could you possibly have more knowledge than the peasants? Go back and tell your political commissar, say it was I who said this: from now on, go to the countryside once every year. This will be of great benefit!

You simply do not understand dialectics, do not understand one divides into two. Previously, you regarded yourself as something extraordinary, and now you regard yourself as utterly worthless. Both are incorrect.

We must encourage those who have made mistakes. When a person who has made mistakes realizes his mistakes, you should point out his strong points. In fact, he still has many strong points. For comrades who have made mistakes, we should give them a lukewarm bath. If it is too hot, they cannot stand it; if it is too cold, they cannot stand it either. Lukewarm water is most suitable. For young people who have made mistakes, do not expel them. Expulsion harms them, and the opposite side is also lost. Even people like Puyi and Kang Ze have been reformed. Some young people are Party members, some are League members, and they still cannot be reformed? Expulsion is too simplistic.

Are you a Leftist in your school? I saw a document that praised you. Having people flatter you is not a good thing. Young people like you should receive more scolding; too little scolding is not good. Everything is forced out this way. I wrote "On Practice" and "On Contradiction" because I was forced to. If I were asked to write them now, I would not be able to.

What does it mean to be advanced? To be advanced means to do the work of those who are backward. Analyze the people around you. Wherever I go, I want to inquire, I want to make friends. You young people must learn dialectics, learn to use dialectics to analyze problems. Take me, for example. I am not more intelligent than others, but I understand dialectics and can use dialectics to analyze problems. Problems that are unclear become clear once analyzed with dialectics. You must properly learn to use dialectics; this is tremendously useful.