Comments on the Letter [1]
(November 18, 1975)
Please let Wang 121 decide as appropriate. I think it is acceptable to approve her return to Tianjin.
November 18
[1]
Wang Mantian, Mao Zedong’s cousin.
At that time she was a member of the Party Core Group of the Ministry of Culture and Deputy Director of the Tianjin Municipal Revolutionary Committee.
On November 16, 1975, she wrote to Mao Zedong: “The whole country is currently undergoing organizational rectification. I have a request: during this rectification, I hope to be relieved of my duties at the Ministry of Culture so that I can concentrate my efforts in Tianjin and work more closely with the grassroots level.” “My current situation is quite unusual: I am a local cadre while also concurrently holding certain responsibilities at the Ministry of Culture, a combination for which there is no parallel in other ministries. As your relative, I am keenly aware that this arrangement has a negative impact. Moreover, my grasp of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought is very weak, and my professional competence is likewise low, making me ill-suited to the work of the Ministry of Culture.” “I am already sixty-two years old and my abilities are limited. Trying to juggle responsibilities in two different places not only prevents me from doing a good job but also leaves me feeling overwhelmed. If I were to focus solely on Tianjin, I might still be able to contribute something to the Party.”
[2]
Wang refers to Wang Dongxing, who at the time was a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.