The implications are too great. At least for the time being, the title of the play and the
names of the main characters should not be changed. The place names should also not be
changed. Criticism of the novel's author [2] should also be moderated.
Mao Zedong
August 31

[1] On August 28, 1969, Jiang Qing, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central
Committee, wrote to Mao Zedong: "We have changed the title of 'Taking Tiger Mountain by
Strategy' to 'Taking Feigu Mountain by Strategy', because we now know for sure that the
author is writing about himself, a true story." "The main tendencies in 'Lin Hai Xue Yuan'28
are also bad, manifested in: not highlighting the Party's leadership; not distinguishing
between the just and unjust nature of war; mystifying reconnaissance work; and portraying
Yang Zirong29 as even more of a bandit than a bandit, etc." The letter also suggested that
"Yang Zirong's name be changed to Liang Zhitong."
[2] Refers to Qu Bo, the author of the novel "Lin Hai Xue Yuan".




28 "Lin Hai Xue Yuan", ("Lin Hai Snow Field"), is a novel depicting the People's Liberation Army's battle with
Nationalist government supporters in northeast China during the Second Kuomintang-Communist Civil War.
Linhai Snow Field was created by Qu Bo in 1954 and completed in 1955. It was submitted to the People's
Literature Publishing House, and officially published in 1957, and was translated into English, Japanese and
other languages. The plot of "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" in this book is very famous in China, and was
adapted into Peking Opera and became one of the eight model plays. Lin Hai Snow Field is based on Qu Bo's
real experience of personally leading a People's Liberation Army detachment deep into the deep mountains
and old forests of the Mudanjiang area in the winter of 1946, and taking the real experience of eliminating the
local armed forces of the pro-Nationalist government in half a year as the background, which can be described
as his representative work.
29 Yang Zirong (January 28, 1917 - February 23, 1947), whose real name was Yang Zonggui, was a native of
Yuxiahe Village, Ninghai Town, Muping, Shandong Province (now Muping District, Yantai City). Yang Zirong
worked as a child labourer in a private silk mill in Andong. In 1932, the factory laid off people, and Yang Zirong
was kicked out of the factory gate. He joined the Eighth Route Army in 1945 and served as a soldier, squad
leader, and regimental reconnaissance platoon leader. He was a cadre of the Mudanjiang Military Division of
the Northeast Democratic Coalition Army and then joined the Eighth Route Army. On February 23, 1947, when
Yang Zirong was chasing and annihilating bandits, his gun was frozen due to the cold weather and he was killed.