【Reprint】Chairman Mao's poetry annotations

螺丝钉 · July 6, 2025, 10:25am

Found a Mao Zedong poetry annotation from the period of the Cultural Revolution on zlib. After reading it, I feel it is much better than those Mao poetry annotations published by Zhongxiu, with profound ideas and a broad mind of Mao as a proletarian revolutionary. I plan to serialize these annotations and analyses on the forum one by one for everyone to view. Some annotations have slight modifications, which do not affect the original text.
This is the original PDF:
Poetry Annotations of Mao Zedong (Nanjing Normal University Chinese Department, Nanjing University Chinese Department).pdf (18.9 MB)

A Letter About Poetry

The books have long been received, and I apologize for the late reply! According to your instructions, I will remember the old-style poetry, including the eight poems you sent, a total of eighteen, copied and sent on another sheet for your review.
I have generally been reluctant to publish these because they are old style, fearing misinterpretation and misguidance for youth; moreover, their poetic flavor is not rich, and they lack distinctive features. Since you believe they can be published, and can also correct the typos in a few copies you have copied, I will follow your advice.
Publishing poetry journals is very good, I wish it to grow and develop. Of course, new poetry should be the main focus; old poetry can be written occasionally, but it is not suitable to promote among youth because this form restricts thought and is not easy to learn. These are just my suggestions for your reference.

Mao Zedong

January 12, 1957

Qinyuan Chun · Changsha

1925

Independence in the cold autumn, the Xiang River flows north, at Orange Isle. See the myriad mountains in red, the forests all dyed; The river is crystal clear, hundreds of boats compete to flow. Eagles strike the long sky, fish glide in the shallow bottom, All creatures compete freely under the frost sky. Dispirited and vast, I ask the boundless earth, who rules the rise and fall?

Bring along a hundred companions who once traveled. Recall the glorious years of struggle. As students in youth, full of vigor; Scholarly spirit, bold and vigorous. Pointing to the rivers and mountains, inspiring words, Dirt as the noble title of ten thousand households. Do you remember, water splashing in the middle of the stream, waves stopping flying boats?

Annotations:
【Qinyuan Chun】A type of ci tune.
【Changsha】The capital of Hunan Province. The place where Mao Zedong studied and engaged in revolutionary activities during his youth.
【Cold autumn】Deep autumn. It already feels cold, hence the name.
【Xiang River】A major river in Hunan, originating from the Ocean Mountain in Xing’an County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, flowing through Changsha, north to Dongting Lake, and into the Yangtze River.
【Orange Isle】Also known as Shui Lu Zhou (Water Egret Isle). A long, narrow island in the Xiang River west of Changsha, 12 miles long and about one mile wide, named for its abundant oranges. The tip of Orange Isle is at its southern end.
【Ten thousand mountains】Refers to the mountain peaks around Yuelu Mountain opposite Changsha. “Ten thousand” is not a precise number but a general term for many.
【Layered forests dyed】The maple forests on the mountain slopes turn red after frost, as if dyed.
【The river is crystal clear】The water of the river is green and transparent. “Man” means full, “bi” means water deep and green, “tou” means clear to the bottom.
【Hundreds of boats compete】Many boats race each other. “Ge” refers to large ships or boats, and “liu” means to sail.
【Strike】To fight or beat. Describes the vigorous flight of eagles.
【Fly】Originally refers to birds circling in the air, here describing fish swimming freely and lightly in water.
【Shallow bottom】The water is clear and can be seen to the bottom.
【All creatures】All things.
【Frost sky】Late autumn with frost, hence called frost sky.
【Compete】To compete.
【Dispirited】Originally meant melancholy. Here it indicates feelings of reflection.
【Vast】Broad and high.
【Boundless】Extremely distant and vast.
【Who rules the rise and fall】Master, control. “Rise and fall” refers to the ups and downs of nature and society.
【Many friends】Refers to Mao’s early revolutionary comrades.
【Majestic】Originally described steep mountain terrain, now means extraordinary.
【Vigorous and flourishing】In full vigor and talent.
【Will and spirit】Willpower and spirit. Refers to the fearless revolutionary spirit of young revolutionaries.
【Bold and vigorous】A time of passionate and vigorous action. “Bold and vigorous” is a phrase from Zhuangzi, meaning full of vitality.
【Pointing to the rivers and mountains】Gesturing and criticizing national affairs passionately.
【Inspiring words】Writing articles to promote Marxism-Leninism and inspire revolutionary spirit.
【Dirt as the noble title of ten thousand households】Using “dirt” as a verb means “to treat as dirt”. “Ten thousand households” was a noble title for feudal rulers.
【Water splashing in the middle of the stream】Refers to swimming in the middle of the river.
【Stop】To block or halt.

Historical background:
The founding of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1, 1921, was a monumental event. Since then, China entered a new historical period of revolution.
Under the wise leadership of Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party, the worker-peasant revolutionary movement surged. In 1922, Mao personally led the An Yuan coal mine strike, setting a shining example for the workers’ movement. In 1925, the shocking May Thirtieth Movement and the provincial and Hong Kong strikes broke out, stirring a nationwide revolutionary storm, fully demonstrating that the Chinese working class was the most advanced class and the leading force of revolution. In spring 1925, Mao returned to Hunan to guide the peasant movement and established the party’s first rural grassroots organization—the Shaoshan branch. Subsequently, the nationwide peasant movement centered on Hunan developed rapidly, heralding the approaching climax of the Great Revolution.
As the revolution developed, the struggle within the united front between two classes and the internal party line conflicts became sharper. The focus was on revolutionary leadership. The Kuomintang right wing, representing the interests of landlords and big bourgeoisie, schemed to seize leadership, while at that time, Chen Duxiu, the general secretary, slandered the Chinese proletariat as “naive” and “unable to become the leading class,” claiming that “peasants find it difficult to join the revolution.” Therefore, he promoted the idea that the revolution in China could only be led by the bourgeoisie, denying the leadership of the proletariat in democratic revolution, and denying the peasant class as an ally of the proletariat. Similarly, the “Left” opportunists like Zhang Guotao also denied the possibility of peasant participation, essentially abandoning proletarian leadership.
“Should the proletariat follow the bourgeoisie, or should the bourgeoisie follow the proletariat? This is the key issue of revolutionary leadership responsibility,” (“The Tasks of the Chinese Communist Party During the Anti-Japanese Period”) Mao Zedong always insisted that the proletariat must hold the revolutionary leadership. He fought resolutely against Chen Duxiu’s and Zhang Guotao’s “Left” and right opportunist lines. In March 1926, Mao published “Analysis of the Social Classes in China,” a brilliant work that systematically and comprehensively solved the issues of proletarian revolutionary leadership and alliances, criticizing the opportunist lines within the party and pointing the way forward for Chinese revolution.
In autumn 1925, Mao left Shaoshan for Guangzhou to preside over the Peasant Movement Training Institute. On the way through Changsha, he wrote this brilliant poem, “Qinyuan Chun · Changsha.”

Learning reflections:
This poem vividly depicts the magnificent autumn scenery of Changsha and recalls the fighting years of the past, reflecting the energetic spirit of the revolutionary period of the Great Revolution. It profoundly expresses the glorious idea that the proletariat must grasp the revolutionary leadership, and it exudes the heroic spirit of revolutionary fighters charging forward.
The first part describes the splendid autumn scenery of the Xiang River, vividly reflecting the vigorous situation of the worker-peasant revolution, raising the question of “who rules the rise and fall” in history.
The opening lines, “Independence in the cold autumn, the Xiang River flows north, at Orange Isle,” highlight the time, place, and atmosphere. The words “independent” are strong and decisive, indicating that the visit is alone (echoing “bringing along a hundred companions” in the second part), and also expressing a distant gaze and deep thought, showing the heroic spirit of the great proletarian revolutionary standing tall amidst the turbulent waves of the revolution.
“See the myriad mountains in red, the forests all dyed; the river is crystal clear, hundreds of boats compete to flow. Eagles strike the long sky, fish glide in the shallow bottom, all creatures compete freely under the frost sky.” This is the autumn scenery seen from Orange Isle. The phrase “see” leads the scene, outlining a colorful and vibrant picture of Changsha’s autumn landscape. It vividly depicts the flying, swimming, and static scenes, making the scenery lively and powerful. “All creatures compete freely under the frost sky” is the finishing touch, summarizing and deepening the previous lines, emphasizing the revolutionary fighting spirit. “Compete”—struggle, which is the fundamental reason for the movement and development of “all creatures.” This line extends the view from the immediate scenery to all things and human society, endowing natural scenery with vivid and broad social content, inspiring thoughts of the vigorous revolutionary movement and the broad revolutionary spirit of Mao’s leadership.
“Dispirited and vast, I ask the boundless earth, who rules the rise and fall?” Mao not only saw the great revolutionary situation approaching but also perceived the lurking dangers, such as Chen Duxiu’s rightist capitulationism leading to revolution failure. “Dispirited and vast” are the core ideas of the entire poem, expressing Mao’s deep concern for the revolutionary future and anxiety over the crisis, sharply criticizing the question of who will hold the leadership. “Who rules the rise and fall of the vast earth” is a thunderous question, angrily criticizing Chen Duxiu’s rightist capitulationism and the Kuomintang right’s conspiracy to seize power; it is also a call for the proletariat to uphold the revolutionary line and firmly grasp the leadership.
The second part recalls Mao’s youthful revolutionary life in Changsha, inspiring proletarian revolutionaries to carry forward the heroic spirit and determine the “rise and fall” of China.
“Bring along a hundred companions who once traveled. Recall the glorious years of struggle.” These two lines connect the present with the past, describing the revolutionary life of Mao and his comrades in Changsha. “The glorious years of struggle” summarizes Mao’s revolutionary activities in Changsha from 1911 to 1923, including studying, organizing workers’ movements, founding revolutionary groups, and leading mass protests and strikes. These are the rich contents of the “glorious years.” Mao experienced the Xinhai Revolution, the May Fourth Movement, and the founding of the Communist Party during this period. Now, in 1925, revisiting the old place, Mao naturally recalls the fiery struggles and comrades who fought shoulder to shoulder.
“As students in youth, full of vigor; scholarly spirit, bold and vigorous.” The opening four lines depict the fighting posture of early proletarian revolutionaries, while the latter three express their fearless revolutionary spirit. These lines, through typical summaries, portray the revolutionary journey of early communist fighters during the May Fourth Movement and the Great Revolution, illustrating their anti-imperialist and anti-feudal struggles, and sketching the heroic images of the proletarian vanguard. Guided by Marxism-Leninism, they are committed to “transform China and the world,” embodying the fearless revolutionary spirit of “not fearing heaven, ghosts, the dead, bureaucrats, warlords, capitalists” (from the declaration of the Xiangjiang Review), raising the banner of rebellion, smashing the spiritual pillar of feudalism—Confucianism and Mencius—rejecting “Mandate of Heaven,” despising “big figures” of counterrevolution, and fighting against traditional ideas. They actively promote Marxism-Leninism and lead the masses of workers and peasants in heroic struggles against imperialism and feudalism. These lines are not only a passionate praise of the revolutionary fighting spirit of Mao’s comrades but also a powerful answer to the question of “who rules the rise and fall”: the Chinese revolution needs such fearless proletarian revolutionaries to lead.
“Do you remember, water splashing in the middle of the stream, waves stopping flying boats?” Using the vivid scene of swimming in the middle of the river as a conclusion, this line is profound and thought-provoking. It not only artistically reproduces the swimming scene at Orange Isle but also metaphorically depicts the revolutionary fighters cutting through the turbulent waves of class struggle, embodying the heroic image of charging forward in the rapids. Mao, based on the reality of the struggle at that time, recalls the past and looks to the future, inspiring proletarian fighters to carry forward the heroic spirit of fighting against the current, advancing bravely, and overcoming all obstacles, to fight fiercely in the “middle stream” of class and line struggles, and to determine the “rise and fall” of China’s revolution.
The question of which class holds the leadership is a fundamental principle in the struggle between Marxism and revisionism. Mao Zedong always attached great importance to this issue. Today, studying this poem, we must deeply understand Mao’s emphasis on “who rules the rise and fall,” uphold the continuation of revolution under proletarian dictatorship, fiercely criticize the conspiracies of Liu Shaoqi and Lin Biao to usurp power and restore capitalism, and firmly grasp the leadership of the socialist revolution in the hands of the proletariat, ensuring our party and country always follow Mao’s revolutionary line to victory!

螺丝钉 · July 11, 2025, 11:51am

Bodhisattva Man·Yellow Crane Tower

Spring of 1927

Vast rivers flow through China, a single line pierces north and south.

Misty rain shrouds the land, turtles and snakes lock the great river.

Where has the Yellow Crane gone? Only visitors remain.

Raise a cup to the surging waves, my heart's tide rises high with the waves!

Notes:
【Yellow Crane Tower】The original site is on Yellow Crane Jiao at She Mountain on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Wuchang, Hubei. Built during the Three Kingdoms period of Sun Wu. According to the “Southern Qi Book · Prefectures and Counties Records”: the immortal Wang Zian rode a yellow crane over here, hence the name. It was dismantled in 1956 due to the construction of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge.
【Vast】Expansive and boundless. Here it describes the mighty water flow, originating far away and flowing long.
【Nine streams】Refers to the Yangtze River. Many tributaries flow into the Yangtze in Hubei, Jiangxi areas. Nine indicates many. Streams, tributaries of water.
【China】The inverted phrase of “the country” and contrasted with “north and south,” referring to the central part of our country.
【Deep and long】Appears profound and lengthy.
【A line】Refers to the Jing-Han and Yue-Han railways at the time, now the Jingguang Railway.
【Turtles and snakes lock the great river】Hanyang’s Turtle Mountain and Wuchang’s Snake Mountain face each other across the river, as if to lock the Yangtze.
【Where has the Yellow Crane gone? Only visitors remain.】The Yellow Crane has gone? The poem by Cui Hao “Yellow Crane Tower”: “The old man has already ridden the Yellow Crane away, leaving only the Yellow Crane Tower. Once the Yellow Crane departs, it will not return. White clouds drift aimlessly for a thousand years…”
【Pour wine and splash (lèi)】Pour wine into the river. This is not literal but uses metaphor to express indignation and resolve. “Pour,” meaning to take. “Lèi,” anciently means pouring wine on the ground as a sacrifice or oath. “Surging” originally describes water’s grandeur, here it refers to the Yangtze River.
【Heart’s tide rises high with the waves】The heart is turbulent like the tide. Follow, chase.

Historical background:
Under the correct leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, in July 1926, the Northern Expedition began from Guangdong. By the end of the year, the Northern Expedition forces occupied provinces such as Hunan, Hubei, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, etc., sweeping through southern China and heavily striking the reactionary rule of imperialists and feudal warlords, launching an unprecedented large-scale people’s liberation struggle in Chinese history. Meanwhile, the peasant revolutionary storm centered in Hunan rapidly developed across central, southern, and northern provinces, fundamentally shaking the foundation of imperialist and feudal rule.
Under this unprecedented revolutionary situation, the reactionaries both domestic and foreign were terrified. Under imperialist instigation, Chiang Kai-shek, representing the landlord and bourgeoisie, launched a counterrevolutionary coup on April 12, 1927, starting large-scale bloody massacres from Shanghai.
At that time, rightist opportunist Chen Duxiu, who was leading the CCP, voluntarily abandoned revolutionary leadership, claiming that Chiang Kai-shek had no “counterrevolutionary acts.” On the eve of the “April 12” counterrevolutionary coup, Chen Duxiu and Wang Jingwei issued a “United Declaration,” glorifying the Kuomintang reactionaries and deceiving revolutionary masses. Traitor, traitor, and factory spy Liu Shaoqi also actively followed Chen Duxiu, acting as the executioner of the workers’ movement, and encouraging the reactionaries’ counterrevolutionary arrogance, gradually succeeding in Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei’s conspiracy.
At this critical moment of revolution, the great leader Mao Zedong insisted on the proletarian revolutionary line and Marxist-Leninist principles, fighting against Chen Duxiu’s rightist capitulationism, advocating to counterattack the Kuomintang rightists’ rampant offensive. In March 1927, Mao published the “Report on the Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan,” fundamentally solving the core issue of proletarian leadership—the peasant alliance army—and first proposed the strategic idea of establishing peasant armed forces and revolutionary bases, guiding the direction of Chinese revolution. At the Fifth Party Congress in late April, Mao, with fearless spirit against the tide, sharply criticized Chen Duxiu’s rightist opportunism and proposed to rapidly strengthen land revolution, arm peasants vigorously, and establish rural revolutionary bases. However, under Chen Duxiu’s control, the congress not only refused to discuss Mao’s correct proposals but also excluded Mao from the congress and deprived him of voting rights. After the congress, Chen Duxiu continued to stubbornly implement the rightist opportunist line. As Mao pointed out: “During the climax of the 1927 Northern Expedition, the surrenderist elements within our party’s leadership voluntarily abandoned leadership over the peasant masses, urban petty bourgeoisie, and middle bourgeoisie, especially the leadership over armed forces, causing that revolution to fail.” (“Current Situation and Our Tasks”)
At the eve of the failure of the Great Revolution, Mao wrote the poem “Bodhisattva Man·Yellow Crane Tower.”

Learning reflections:
This poem vividly depicts Mao’s feelings upon ascending Yellow Crane Tower, expressing his intense indignation towards Chiang Kai-shek’s reactionaries and Chen Duxiu’s capitulationism, and his determination to save the revolution and carry it through to the end.
The upper stanza describes the view from the tower, reflecting the perilous political situation before the failure of the Great Revolution, subtly expressing deep concern for the revolution’s future.
“Vast rivers flow through China, a single line pierces north and south” depicts the distant scene. From the start, Mao sketches a grand and majestic landscape. The mighty Yangtze River, flowing eastward across the country; the profound and lengthy railway, extending through the north and south. This water and land, horizontal and vertical, form a broad, majestic, and somber scene, showing Mao’s far-sighted vision. The words “vast” and “deep” not only set the tense political atmosphere but also contain Mao’s deep concern for the revolution.
The phrase “Misty rain shrouds the land” describes the scene of Wuhan from afar. The misty rain envelops the vast land, adding a heavy, gloomy background to the scene, matching the earlier words. “Turtles and snakes lock the great river” describes the near view. Turtles and snakes confront each other, as if to lock the Yangtze. The words “flow” and “lock” give an oppressive artistic feeling, further darkening the scene. The scene of Wuhan’s three towns in the misty rain is an artistic reflection of the political situation across the country. At that time, facing the victorious development of the Northern Expedition, the political representatives of the bourgeoisie and the loyal agents of imperialism, Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei, colluded out of common reactionary interests, trying to crush the people’s revolutionary movement. Meanwhile, the rightist opportunist Chen Duxiu stubbornly refused Mao’s correct advice, pursuing capitulationism, and pushing the revolution into extreme danger. The poem reflects Mao’s deep anxiety about the fate of the motherland.
The lower stanza expresses Mao’s firm resolve to uphold the proletarian revolutionary line and to carry the revolution through to the end.
“Where has the Yellow Crane gone? Only visitors remain.” Using Cui Hao’s poetic imagery, the empty tower symbolizes the political situation in Wuhan at that time. Wuhan was once the revolutionary center, but now it is shrouded in gloom, with mist and rain, and the revolutionary banner of the “National Revolutionary Government” has long been defunct. The revolutionary united front is broken, and the achievements of the Great Revolution are about to be lost. Mao borrowed the allusion of the Yellow Crane Tower to express his profound indignation towards reactionaries and capitulationists and his urgent desire to save the revolution.
“Pour wine and splash (lèi)” is the climax of the poem, directly expressing Mao’s feelings. From the tower, Mao gazes at the roaring Yangtze, contemplating the revolution’s future, with his heart surging. This “heart’s tide” reflects strong hatred for the reactionaries, anger at rightist capitulationism, and also Mao’s firm belief in carrying the revolution through to the end in critical moments. “Heart’s tide rises high with the waves” uses vivid imagination to express Mao’s revolutionary passion against the tide. The phrase “chasing the waves” responds to the opening “vast rivers,” revealing the struggle between “flow” and “lock,” symbolizing the Yangtze’s mighty force breaking through the turtles and snakes, rushing forward fiercely. Mao merges his inner turbulent waves with the Yangtze’s surging waters, vividly illustrating that the revolutionary torrent cannot be stopped by Chiang Kai-shek’s slaughter, nor by Chen Duxiu’s claws. It will break through all obstacles and surge forward. The road is tortuous, but the future is bright, and victory belongs to the indomitable proletariat. The entire poem rhymes with “high,” implying profound meaning, inspiring the heart. It not only expresses endless thoughts but also limitless strength.
Mao taught us: “In 1927, the Chinese bourgeoisie defeated the proletariat through opportunism within the Chinese Communist Party.” (“On Contradictions”) Learning this poem, we should deeply learn from this bloody lesson of history, fully recognize the serious harm of revisionist and opportunist lines and leaders, understand the nature, object, task, and future of the revolution in the socialist stage, be highly vigilant against the conspiracy of bourgeoisie within the party to seize power and restore, oppose rightism and restoration, and fight bravely to consolidate the proletarian dictatorship.

FallWind · July 18, 2025, 6:17pm

Thank you for sharing! This is a very meaningful booklet! I actually quite like poetry, but I always stay at the level of interest without deepening my study guided by Marxism, so I often fall into the mire of landlord bourgeoisie思想 when reading poetry by landlords and bourgeoisie. This booklet is very helpful to me!

Here I also share a poem by Mao Zedong that I personally like the most, “He Xin Lang · Reading History.” In my opinion, Mao’s “He Xin Lang” is the highest peak of applying historical materialism to poetry, a groundbreaking first that has no precedent (and still no successors today), not only containing profound significance but also being one of the best among Mao’s poems.

Before China’s socialist revolution, poetry and songs were merely playthings of the exploiting class. The slightly progressive legalist landlord class, in their poetry and songs, only promoted personal talent and ambition, occasionally producing a “poetry history” that could only stand from the exploiting class’s perspective to sympathize with the working people, but could not see the great力量 hidden within the working people; the reactionary Confucian landlords even more so, constantly宣扬 the inevitable demise of the exploiting class, the impermanence of life, and幻灭 of ideals, or directly promote a shameful life of eating, drinking, playing, traveling, and淫乱, with no反驳价值 at all. Therefore, throughout Chinese history, whether it was the delicate and bold schools within the ancient landlord class or the contemporary bourgeois democratic派 and so-called literary masters’ poetry, none could compare to Mao’s “He Xin Lang,” let alone surpass it. However, my knowledge is limited, especially my understanding of poetry as an art form and my学习 of Marxism are still lacking, so my own understanding of this poem is shallow. Here I just share the original text, and as for my thoughts, I will post them later when I have time.

The original text is as follows:

vvv · July 19, 2025, 11:50am

I really like the poem 《Butterfly Loves Flowers: Reply to Li Shuyi》

前进Advance · July 20, 2025, 3:13am

I also really enjoy Chairman Mao’s poetry, always feeling his boundless confidence in the revolution and the heroic spirit that the proletarian revolution will surely triumph. The one I like most is “Seven-character regulated verse·Thoughts” (《七律·有所思》), written by Chairman Mao in June 1966, depicting the revolutionary scene across the country after the Cultural Revolution was launched.

Seven-character regulated verse·Thoughts
It is precisely when the gods are busy that I come to the southern land to step on the fragrant branches.
The green pines angrily reach the sky, fallen leaves scatter along the blue water.
A gust of wind and thunder shock the world, banners of red and green flutter on the streets.
Quietly listening to the drizzle by the railing, the people of the homeland have thoughts.

红术 · July 22, 2025, 6:44am

It seems that the ending in the manuscript is not “The people of the homeland have thoughts” but “Seven hundred million people have thoughts”?

前进Advance · July 22, 2025, 6:52am

It seems so, but later it was said to have been modified

青松 · July 22, 2025, 11:00am

催更。

螺丝钉 · July 24, 2025, 9:20am

Xi Jiang Yue · Jinggangshan

October 1928

Below the mountain, banners are in sight, on the mountain top, bugles are heard.
The enemy army besieges in countless layers, yet I stand firm and unmoving.
The defenses are already strict and formidable, further uniting the people’s will.
On Huangyangjie, cannons roar loudly, reporting the enemy’s night retreat.

Note:
   【Jinggangshan】A major mountain in the middle of the Luo Xiao mountain range on the border of Hunan and Jiangxi, located between Yongxin, Ninggang, Suichuan in Jiangxi, and Ling (homophone of “Ling”) County in eastern Hunan. It spans over 500 miles, surrounded by cliffs and steep walls, with only five narrow paths for entry and exit, making it extremely dangerous, with five major watchpoints.
   【Jing (homophone of “Jing”)旗】Flag. An ancient flag decorated with feathers.
   【在望】Within sight, within view.
   【鼓角】Drums and horns. Here referring to the sound of war drums and military horns.
   【重】Layer.
   【自】An intensifying particle, meaning “still” or “yet”.
   【岿然】Majestically upright.
   【森严壁垒】“Fortress is strict”. Describes the defenses as solid and tightly guarded. “森严” means strict and solid, impervious; “壁垒” originally refers to the walls around ancient military camps, here meaning defensive structures.
   【众志成城】Unity of the people, as unbreakable as a fortress.
   【黄洋界】A location north of Jinggangshan, on the main route from Yongxin and Ninggang to Ciping, the command center of the Red Army at that time. It is flanked by cliffs and deep valleys, making it one of the most dangerous of the five watchpoints.
   【宵遁】Night, escape.

Historical Background:
   In the summer of 1927, after the failure of the Great Revolution, the revolution temporarily shifted from a climax to a low tide. On August 7, the Central Committee held an emergency meeting in Hankou. Guided by Chairman Mao’s brilliant idea of “Power comes from the barrel of a gun,” the correct path of land revolution and armed struggle was established. After the meeting, Chairman Mao personally led the significant Autumn Harvest Uprising. In October, Mao led the troops of the Autumn Harvest Uprising to Jinggangshan, establishing the first rural revolutionary base, igniting the spark of “Workers and peasants armed uprising.” From then on, the Chinese revolution embarked on the correct path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing power through armed struggle.
   In April 1928, comrades Zhu De, Chen Yi, and others, leading the remnants of the Nanchang Uprising, arrived at Jinggangshan and met Mao, forming the Fourth Army of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. Under Mao’s leadership, the Jinggangshan army and people repeatedly defeated the enemy’s “encirclement and suppression,” expanding the revolutionary base day by day.
   Mao’s creation of the rural revolutionary base was carried out amid fierce struggles against the “Left” and “Right” opportunist lines within the Party, especially against Qu Qiubai’s “Left” adventurism. Under Qu Qiubai’s erroneous line, in July 1928, Du Xiujing and others from the Hunan Provincial Committee, taking advantage of Mao’s absence in Yongxin, forced the Red Army main force on Jinggangshan to advance into Hunan, resulting in the “August failure.” At that time, Mao was commanding the Red Army to besiege the enemy near Yongxin with a four-sided guerrilla tactic. Upon hearing the news, Mao immediately decided to personally lead the 31st Regiment, 3rd Battalion to Guandong to迎还大队; the first battalion, along with Yuan Wencai and Wang Zuo, stayed on Jinggangshan to prevent enemy infiltration. Indeed, on August 30, the enemy’s two armies from Hunan and Jiangxi attacked Jinggangshan when our troops attempted to retreat. The defending troops, less than one battalion, resisted bravely and defeated the enemy, preserving the base (“The Struggle on Jinggangshan”). On September 26, Mao led the Red Army back to Jinggangshan, filled with victorious pride, and wrote “Xi Jiang Yue · Jinggangshan”.

Learning Reflections:
   This poem vividly depicts the Battle of Huangyangjie, praising the great victory of our Party’s first rural revolutionary base army and people’s armed struggle, vividly embodying the path of Jinggangshan — encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing power through armed struggle — as the only correct road for Chinese revolution.
   The first part describes the magnificent scene of the defense of Huangyangjie and the indomitable heroic spirit of the base army and people.
   “Banners are in sight at the foot of the mountain, bugles are heard on the mountain top” opens with a grand picture of the people’s war. The two lines, “at the foot of the mountain” and “on the mountain top,” interweave to depict a majestic scene of the people’s war, with red flags like a sea and bugle sounds, creating an intense atmosphere of fierce fighting, showing the high fighting spirit and readiness of the base army and people.
   “The enemy besieges in countless layers, yet I stand firm and unmoving” summarizes the confrontation and fierce battle scene. The phrase “the enemy besieges in countless layers” describes the enemy’s aggressive momentum and the serious situation, contrasting with the heroism and revolutionary spirit of our army. “I stand firm and unmoving” personifies the hero mountain and defenders, emphasizing their calmness and contempt for the enemy. This is the central line of the poem, fully demonstrating the heroic spirit of the base army and people, and praising the majestic resilience of the revolutionary base — the “red flags at the border” always standing tall.
   The second part explains the reasons for “I stand firm and unmoving” and the great victory of the Huangyangjie defense.
   “Fortresses are already strict and formidable, further uniting the people’s will” describes the unity and fighting spirit of the Jinggangshan army and people. “Already” indicates that preparations, such as fortifications, food reserves, hospitals, etc., were completed in advance, and also shows their readiness and fighting morale. “Further uniting the people’s will” emphasizes the role of Mao’s proletarian political leadership. The phrase “united as one” reflects the fighting will to defend the red base and the firm determination to follow the Jinggangshan path. These lines vividly illustrate Mao’s great thought of people’s war: “What is the true copper wall and iron wall? It is the masses, the millions of people sincerely supporting the revolution. This is the real copper wall and iron wall, invulnerable and unbreakable.” (“Care for the People’s Lives and Pay Attention to Work Methods”)
   The ending lines, “Cannons roar loudly on Huangyangjie, reporting the enemy’s night retreat”, depict the glorious victory of the people’s war and the shameful defeat of the enemy. The “roar of cannons” is a typical scene, vividly highlighting the high fighting spirit of the Jinggangshan army and people turning the tide. “Reporting the enemy’s night retreat” contains a sharp mockery of the enemy’s cowardice. The phrase “night retreat” vividly shows the enemy’s shameful flight, exposing their weakness and rotten nature. “Reporting” reflects the joy of military and civilians celebrating victory. The booming cannons at Huangyangjie announced the great victory of the Jinggangshan struggle and the Jinggangshan path, heralding the enemy’s defeat and the bright future of revolutionary victory.
   “Xi Jiang Yue · Jinggangshan” is a triumphant ode to the proletarian revolutionary line. Nearly half a century of revolutionary history powerfully proves: the Jinggangshan road is the path for the proletariat to raise the banner, resist, persist in revolution, and carry out armed struggle; it is the victorious path of arduous struggle and continuous revolution. It powerfully affirms Mao’s proletarian revolutionary line as absolutely correct. Persisting on this path, the revolutionary spark will ignite a prairie fire; sticking to this path, the old world can be overthrown and the new world built. Today, studying this poem, we must hold high the Jinggangshan red flag, carry forward the revolutionary tradition and fighting spirit of Jinggangshan, focus on class struggle, adhere to the Party’s fundamental line, and carry the revolution under the proletarian dictatorship to the end!

螺丝钉 · July 24, 2025, 9:24am

My favorite Mao Zedong poem is “Die Lian Hua · From Tingzhou to Changsha,” especially the lines “Ten thousand zhang long tassels must bind the Kunpeng” and “An international悲歌 (悲歌,悲歌) sings a song, wild winds fall from the sky for me,” which reflect a strong revolutionary spirit of human determination triumphing over heaven.

寒岳 · September 20, 2025, 12:34pm

Comrade, could you please organize this poem and “Reascending Jinggang Mountain”? The OCR recognition produced many errors. I want to bring them to school for morning Chinese reading and poetry recitation.

继续批余fish · September 20, 2025, 3:03pm

There are too many notes given; it would be better to translate directly or provide fewer notes.

螺丝钉 · September 20, 2025, 4:29pm

Except for the first one, “Ode to the Plum Blossom in Spring Snow,” the other two updated annotations are not many, right?

螺丝钉 · October 2, 2025, 3:38pm

Continue serializing Chairman Mao’s poetry and lyrics. Because the original materials used contained some errors in the interpretation of Chairman Mao’s poetry and lyrics (for example, clearly describing the rebellious clouds in “乱云飞渡仍从容” as “writing about the people’s strength” instead of describing the anti-communist and anti-people forces’ rebellious clouds), I have found another copy of “Chairman Mao’s Poems and Lyrics” reprinted locally in 1968. From now on, I will mainly reproduce the explanations from this book, with the previous materials serving as auxiliary references.

Qingping Yue · Jiang-Gui War

Autumn 1929

Sudden change of wind and clouds, warlords reopen battle.

All over the world are grievances, a yellow millet pillow reappears.

Red flags cross Tingjiang, directly down to Longyan Shanghang.

Gathering the land of Jin'ao, busy dividing fields and land.

Historical Background:
With the support of imperialism, various warlords continued to fight each other for years. Starting from 1929, larger-scale conflicts included the Jiangli and Wangtang (Wang Jingwei, Tang Shengzhi) battles, the Guangdong and Guangxi warlord conflicts, and the Jiang-Yan (Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Xishan), Feng-Zhang (Feng Yuxiang, Zhang Zuolin) wars. In March and April 1929, the Jiang-Gui war described in this poem broke out. Additionally, other small-scale wars among warlords were countless. The people fell into deep water and scorching fire, with widespread grievances.
Chairman Mao wisely pointed out that the warlord chaos created favorable conditions for red bases. Based on this, summing up revolutionary lessons, our Party determined to develop “Worker-Peasant Armed Uprising”, that is, led by the proletariat, with land revolution for peasants as the main content, armed struggle as the primary form, and rural base areas as the main battleground, combining these three to carry out anti-imperialist and anti-feudal democratic revolution. This is the path of our great leader Chairman Mao, who pointed out the strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside and ultimately winning the national revolution.
Under the correct guidance of this revolutionary line, the Red Army and the base areas developed greatly. By 1930, shortly after writing this poem, the Red Army had grown to eleven armies (over 60,000 troops), spread across more than ten provinces including Jiangxi and Fujian. They established large revolutionary base areas such as Hunan-Gan, Southern Gan, Western Min, Hunan-Hubei-Gan, Min-Zhe-Gan, Hubei-Yu-Anhui, Honghu, Western Hunan-Ezhou, and Zuojiang.
During the Jiang-Gui war in 1929, Chairman Mao personally led part of the Red Army to establish revolutionary bases here. Between April and May, after defeating local warlord Chen Guohui, they occupied these provinces. Wherever the Red Army advanced, the Party launched land revolution, creating the lively and inspiring scene of “busy dividing fields and land.”

【Jiang-Gui War】 refers to the dogfight between Nanjing warlord Chiang Kai-shek and Guangxi warlord Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi in March and April 1929. Mao Zedong pointed out as early as October 1928: “The contradictions and struggles among various factions of warlords within China reflect the contradictions and struggles among imperialist countries.” Therefore, as the contradictions among imperialist countries like the US, UK, and Japan over China’s colonies intensified, it inevitably led to further chaos among domestic warlords. The chaos among warlords created favorable conditions for red bases; endless wars deepened the suffering of all classes and layers of people, and hatred for reactionaries grew. This promoted the development of revolutionary forces. Under the great revolutionary tide, Mao Zedong led the Fourth Red Army to advance into Minxi three times from March to October 1929, effectively striking and sweeping away reactionary warlord forces, rapidly establishing people’s revolutionary governments in places like Longyan, Yongding, and Shanghang, and vigorously launching land revolution movements. This poem was written under these circumstances.
【Sudden change of wind and clouds】 refers to the sudden change in the political situation.
【Warlords reopen battle】 means war among warlords resumed. In October 1927, new warlords like Chiang Kai-shek fought against Guangxi warlord Li Zongren; in April and May 1928, Chiang Kai-shek, Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan formed an alliance against the Fengtian clique; in 1929, the Jiang-Gui war broke out again. The chaos among warlords was ongoing, hence “reopen battle.”
【All over the world are grievances】 means that the chaos among warlords brought deep suffering to the people nationwide, arousing widespread hatred for reactionaries. Mao Zedong said, “Along with the contradictions among ruling factions—warlord chaos—came disasters and banditry across the country, leading to the suffering of vast farmers and urban poor, who are forced onto the brink of despair.”
【Yellow millet pillow reappears】 is from the Tang story “Pillow Book” by Shen Jiji. It tells of Lu Sheng, on his journey to Handan, complaining of poverty to a Lü elder, who gives him a pillow saying, “Sleep on it, and you will become rich and noble.” Lu Sheng does so and dreams beautifully. When he wakes, he finds the millet (yellow millet) he cooked before sleeping is still uncooked. This symbolizes reactionary warlords’ vain dreams of power and dominance over the people, re- dreaming “yellow millet dreams.” (Additionally, “re-” echoes the “re” in the previous line, indicating that all reactionaries’ logic is chaos, failure, chaos again, failure again, until destruction.)
【Red flags cross Tingjiang, directly down to Longyan Shanghang】: In early 1929, Mao Zedong led the Fourth Red Army south from Jinggangshan into Fujian. By late March, they advanced into Minxi, defeated the local warlord Guo Fengming, and occupied Tingzhou (now Changting County, Longyan City, Fujian Province); by late May, they re-entered Fujian, defeating the local warlord Chen Guohui; in October, they entered Fujian for the third time, defeating the local warlord Lu Xinming, and occupied counties like Longyan and Shanghang, establishing revolutionary governments. “Tingjiang” is a river in southwestern Fujian, upstream of Hanjiang. “Directly down” means advancing swiftly and irresistibly. The Red Army was unstoppable.
【Gathering the land of Jin’ao, busy dividing fields and land】 describes the liberation of a vast landscape, launching vigorous mass movements to fight landlords and distribute land. “Jin’ao (ou)” historically refers to a metal vessel for wine, often symbolizing the land and territory. Under warlord fragmentation, the homeland was shattered like a broken Jin’ao. The Red Army’s liberation of Minxi was like gathering and restoring Jin’ao.

Explanation:
“Sudden change of wind and clouds, warlords reopen battle.” The opening lines explain the sudden change in the political situation—warlords fighting again. The New Warlords of the Kuomintang, Chiang Kai-shek, and the Guangxi warlord Li Zongren, fought against each other for control. When their goal of attacking Beijing and Tianjin failed, they temporarily united against Zhang Zuolin, but once Beijing and Tianjin fell, the unity dissolved, and they resumed their power struggles. Chiang and Feng-Yan (Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan) initially colluded but soon fought each other again, hence “warlords reopen battle.” The wars of March-April 1929 between Chiang Kai-shek and the Guangxi warlords, and the later conflicts with Yan and Feng, were all internal struggles among the ruling class for power and profit. These endless wars caused the peasants to suffer destruction and displacement, leading to widespread grievances.
“All over the world are grievances,” what is this “grievance”? It is the deep hatred of the classes. The continuous chaos among Chinese warlords, supported by imperialism and comprador bourgeoisie, aimed to turn China into their colony through warlord conflicts. The Chinese New Democratic Revolution must overthrow imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism. Once the masses organize under Mao’s leadership to fight, this deep hatred will turn into a mighty force. Despite the imperialist backing of the warlords, their dreams of dominance are just “a yellow millet dream”—illusory.
In the first stanza, Mao vividly describes the darkness caused by warlord chaos.
However, the tone shifts in the second stanza, revealing a bright and joyful future. Why? Because Mao describes the great victory achieved through the Party-led peasant war and land revolution, and the magnificent future of armed struggle unifying the motherland.
“We only need to know that China’s white regime is constantly divided and at war, then the emergence, existence, and growth of the red regime are inevitable.” Mao’s scientific analysis of China’s semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, combined with Marxist-Leninist truth and China’s revolutionary reality, led to this wise conclusion, guiding China’s revolution to victory.
The warlords’ endless chaos, driven by personal greed, caused suffering for the people. Our great leader Mao, fighting for the masses’ liberation, wrote this poem. Although titled “Jiang-Gui War,” it is not merely about war among warlords but emphasizes the struggle of the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army led by it.
Look, “Red flags cross Tingjiang, directly down to Longyan Shanghang,” vividly depicts the unstoppable force of the Red Army, like an iron torrent. Wherever they go, they launch land revolution, fight landlords, and mobilize the masses. The phrase “busy dividing fields and land” vividly portrays the scene of peasants celebrating liberation, beating drums, and fighting for land. It’s as if you hear the joyous shouts of peasants and see them eager to fight for China’s liberation.
“Gathering the land of Jin’ao,” not only describes the victory of the Red Army but also expresses their ideals and ambitions, showing the magnificent future of Chinese revolution. The corrupt Kuomintang warlords are struggling in their death throes, while the Chinese Communist Party and the Red Army are the new forces, representing the direction of social development. In fact, the small red bases surrounded by the white regime are like sparks, and these sparks have become a prairie fire today. (Referring to the situation before the Cultural Revolution victory) Yesterday, they destroyed reactionary forces in China; tomorrow, they will burn down all reactionary forces worldwide, igniting a red proletarian new world.
This poem is a great historical epic and also an artistic expression of “Why the Chinese Red Regime Can Exist”, a great theory. It vividly describes the characteristics and essence of China’s revolutionary struggle. This theory remains a torch for the world’s people to fight for liberation today.

螺丝钉 · February 21, 2026, 11:27am

This post has been shelved for a long time. Because I was indulging in pleasures and found formatting editing difficult, I was reluctant to continue updating it. Recently, the organization has been explaining the “Lectures on the History of the Struggle Between the Two Lines of the Chinese Communist Party,” and Chairman Mao’s poetry was born in the struggle between the two lines. Now, I will continue to update this post, in conjunction with the reading club’s explanation, which may lead to a deeper understanding of Chairman Mao’s poetry.

Cai Sang Zi · Chongyang

October 1929

Life is easy to grow old, but Heaven is hard to grow old, year after year Chongyang.

Now again Chongyang, the yellow flowers on the battlefield are especially fragrant.

The autumn wind is strong year after year, unlike spring scenery.

Surpassing spring scenery, the vast river and sky are covered with frost for ten thousand miles.

Note:
  【Yellow flowers】Chrysanthemum. Wild chrysanthemums are particularly abundant in southern Jiangxi and western Fujian.
  【Strong】Powerful, vigorous.
  【Vast】Expansive, lofty.
  【Frost】Here it is a metaphor for “autumn scenery.”

Historical Background:
In 1929, the Chiang-Gui War broke out. Chairman Mao seized this favorable opportunity, “using military development to carve out territory,” expanding the revolutionary base. In January of that year, Mao led the Red Fourth Army to advance into southern Jiangxi, fighting across Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian borders. In February, they scored a major victory at Dabadi near Ruijin. In March, Mao led the Red Fourth Army into western Fujian, greatly promoting the revolutionary struggle in western Fujian. After more than three months of guerrilla activities, Mao found that the enemy forces in southern Jiangxi and western Fujian were relatively weak, and the revolutionary foundation was good, so he decided to “divide troops to mobilize the masses,” assisting local parties to carry out land revolution and expand people’s armed forces. In May, Mao again led the Red Fourth Army into Fujian, eliminating local warlords, consolidating, and developing the revolutionary base in western Fujian. That year, Mao traveled the battlefield, enduring a tough wartime life.

“Hum on horseback” was composed during this time.

Under the guidance of Mao’s revolutionary line, the Red Army achieved glorious victories, but in places influenced and controlled by opportunism, the revolution suffered losses and setbacks. For example, in February 1929, when Mao led the Red Army to fight on the front lines, Peng Dehuai stayed behind in Jinggangshan. The enemy attacked us, but Peng refused to implement Mao’s guerrilla warfare policy, adopting passive defense, guarding everywhere, resulting in the loss of two-thirds of the Red Army and more than half of the weapons. In September, opportunistic leaders in the Red Fourth Army advanced rashly to Meixian, Guangdong, and suffered a defeat. Under the influence of these opportunist ideas, some within the Red Army and the Party developed passive and defeatist attitudes, pessimistically questioning “how long the red flag can fly.” (Note: The most notorious of these was the letter written by Lin to Chairman Mao.) They did not believe that the revolutionary climax would arrive quickly, so they were unwilling to do the arduous work of establishing bases, only wanting to “move around with guerrilla tactics.” If these ideological problems are not resolved, they will seriously hinder the development of the revolution. Therefore, as early as April 5, 1929, Mao wrote a letter to the Central Committee clearly stating: “The development of the revolution will be very rapid, and propaganda and preparation for armed uprisings should be actively undertaken.” Mao’s writing of this poem, about two months later, was consistent with the resolution “Correcting Wrong Thoughts within the Party,” which first armed the thoughts of the workers and peasants’ Red Army and corrected internal errors, making a strong contribution to the further development of the revolution.

This poem was written by Mao during his time in Sujiapo Village, Shanghang County, western Fujian.

Learning Experience (compiled during the Cultural Revolution):
This poem expresses the feelings of the Chongyang Festival on the battlefield, vividly demonstrating our great leader’s most thorough proletarian revolutionary outlook on life, the most heroic revolutionary sentiment, and the highest revolutionary ideals. The poem is filled with revolutionary feelings of love and pride for the revolutionary war and revolutionary base areas.

The upper stanza reflects the feelings of Chongyang Festival on the battlefield from an infinite perspective.

“Life is easy to grow old, but Heaven is hard to grow old, year after year Chongyang.” The poem begins with an extraordinary momentum, using highly concise language to summarize a profound Marxist philosophy about the universe and life: human life is finite, but the development process of the objective world is endless. “Heaven is hard to grow old” means that the development and change of all things in the universe are much slower compared to human changes and are not easily perceptible. Therefore, every year, Chongyang Festival is celebrated as usual. In terms of celestial phenomena, each year’s Chongyang is almost the same. “Year after year Chongyang” indicates that heaven is difficult to grow old.

On the other hand, “Heaven is hard to grow old” also refers to the revolutionary cause. The revolutionary cause is endless.

“In a society with class existence, class struggle will never end. In a society without classes, the struggle between new and old, right and wrong will never end. In the scope of production struggle and scientific experiments, human beings are constantly developing, and natural phenomena are also constantly evolving, never stopping at one level.”

“Life is easy to grow old, but Heaven is hard to grow old” reveals this universal law of the universe, educating people with a spirit of “seize the day” to dedicate the “easily aging” life to the “difficult to grow old” cause, investing finite life into infinite revolutionary struggle. Chairman Mao is a great example of dedicating his whole life to the magnificent cause of communism.

“Now again Chongyang, the yellow flowers on the battlefield are especially fragrant.” This reflects the feelings of a proletarian revolutionary after arduous struggle, achieving certain progress in the revolutionary cause. No matter how the reactionaries try to delay history, time still moves forward, and society continues to develop. This year’s Chongyang has arrived again, the natural scenery remains the same, but the revolutionary situation has changed. This Chongyang is celebrated amidst victorious revolutionary war songs, in the newly established revolutionary base after bloody battles, so even the wild chrysanthemums on the battlefield seem especially fragrant.

“Battlefield yellow flowers” not only refer to flowers but also symbolize all beautiful things on the revolutionary battlefield. It is “fragrant” because it is the fruit of the revolutionary soldiers’ blood and sweat, representing the victory flowers of the revolution and the joyful flowers of the revolutionary base. This “fragrance” expresses Chairman Mao’s boundless love and praise for revolutionary war and bases, full of joy and pride for victory, and also reflects the revolutionary heroism and optimism of all Red Army soldiers who regard dedicating themselves to revolution as the greatest happiness.

The lower stanza further describes the feelings of Chongyang Festival on the battlefield from a broad spatial perspective.

“Annual autumn wind is strong, unlike spring scenery.” These two lines continue to summarize the universal law of the universe: four seasons cycle, scenery changes, but this is not a purely objective description. The “strong” autumn wind is full of praise. When the autumn wind blows fiercely, it sweeps away withered branches and fallen leaves, clears away mud and dirt, and ushers in a new world. The “strong” autumn wind gives a vigorous and powerful feeling, full of a fighting and vigorous atmosphere. This matches the inner world of revolutionary fighters and their energetic fighting life. Such an autumn wind is indeed different from the gentle and bright spring scenery; it has its own inspiring and fighting qualities.

“Annual autumn wind is strong” also reminds us of the storm of the Autumn Harvest Uprising two years ago. The “autumn wind” of this Chongyang is exactly the red flag of the Autumn Harvest Uprising raised by Chairman Mao himself; that “especially fragrant” yellow flower is spread by this vigorous “autumn wind” across the battlefield.

“Surpassing spring scenery, the vast river and sky are covered with frost for ten thousand miles.” This directly praises the autumn scenery, expressing infinite love for the revolutionary war and revolutionary base areas, and a bright outlook for the future of the revolution.

“Autumn scenery” “surpassing spring scenery” is not only because the vigorous autumn wind is full of fighting spirit but also because it brings the magnificent scene of “the vast river and sky covered with frost for ten thousand miles.” … This is the most concentrated summary and most enthusiastic praise of autumn scenery. This scene symbolizes the revolutionary spark spreading across the land, the red flags covering the mountains and forests, the tide of revolution sweeping the country, and the revolutionary momentum soaring through the universe. This magnificent realm is a free space for revolutionaries to leap and fly, embodying the broadness of their minds and the grandeur of their ambitions, hinting at the infinite beauty of the revolution’s future. This is not only the latest and most beautiful depiction of autumn scenery but also a reflection of the continuously rising revolutionary situation, the endless scenery of revolutionary wars and the Red Soviet Area, and the lofty ideals and great feelings of spreading the red flags across China and the world. Such “spring scenery” naturally surpasses spring many times over, a thousand or ten thousand times.

二心集 · March 6, 2026, 1:07pm

Today I studied the Seven-character Regulated Verse “Long March”. Could you update the annotations for the “Long March” in the Seven-character Regulated Verse?