Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

(1893–1976), the first

Chairman of the Communist Party of China The Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party () was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. The position was established at the 8th National Congress in 1945 and abolished at the 12th National Congress in 1982, bei ...

and leader of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

for nearly 30 years, wrote

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, starting in the 1920s, during the Red Army's retreat during the

Long March The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...

of 1934–1936, and after coming to power in 1949. In spite of Mao's political radicalism he was artistically conservative, opting to use traditional Chinese forms.

Overview

Mao's poems are in the classical Chinese verse style, rather than the newer Modern Chinese poetry style. Mao is probably not one of the best Chinese poets, but his poems are generally considered to have literary quality. Like most Chinese intellectuals of his generation, Mao immersed himself in

Chinese classical literature Chinese classic texts or canonical texts () or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian ...

. His style was deeply influenced by the "Three Lis" of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

: poets Li Bai,

Li Shangyin Li Shangyin (, 813858), courtesy name Yishan (), was a Chinese poet and politician of the late Tang dynasty, born in the Henei Commandery (now Qinyang, Henan). He is noted for the imagist quality of his poems and his "no title" () style of poet ...

, and

Li He Li He ( – ) was a Chinese poet of the mid-Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Changji, and he is also known as Guicai and Shigui. He was prevented from taking the imperial examination due to a naming taboo. He died very young, and was note ...

. He is considered to be a

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

poet, in contrast to the realist poets represented by

Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...

. Mao's poems are frequently quoted in popular culture, literature and daily conversations. Some of his most well-known poems are "Changsha" (1925), "The Double Ninth" (1929.10), "Loushan Pass" (1935), "The Long March" (1935), "Snow" (1936.02), "The PLA Captures Nanjing" (1949.04), " Reply to Li Shuyi" (1957.05.11), and "Ode to the Plum Blossom" (1961.12).

Poems

Changsha (1925)

Informal Translation: Changsha长沙 In the (rhyme) pattern of ''Qinyuanchun''沁园春

沁園春·長沙現代-毛澤東獨立寒秋，湘江北去，橘子洲頭。看萬山紅遍，層林盡染；漫江碧透，百舸爭流。鷹擊長空，魚翔淺底，萬類霜天競自由。悵寥廓，問蒼茫大地，誰主沉浮？攜來百侶曾遊，憶往昔崢嶸歲月稠。恰同學少年，風華正茂；書生意氣，揮斥方遒。指點江山，激揚文字，糞土當年萬戶侯。曾記否，到中流擊水，浪遏飛舟！ In the autumn cold alone I stand As Northward the Xiang river flow; Upon the tip of Orange Island. Ten thousand hills in a crimson glow By their serried woods deep-dyed, Hundreds of barges row upon row Over crystal clear waters they slide. High in the Heavens, Eagles sweep and soar In the limpid deep, fish glance and glide; Milliards of creatures fight to be free, Under the frosty skies, cold to the core. Into the boundless void, I despair, To this vast realm I implore upon thee, The fate of this land is in whose care? I was here with a throng of peers Vivid yet those eventful months and years. Schoolmates, young as we were, At life's full blossoming, our destinies we fulfill; Scholars we were, of spirit and will Carefree with youthful vigour We point to our rivers and hills, Praise and denounce with our lettering skills, We cared not for fortune nor fame! Remember the time if you could, How in the midstream torrent we stood And thus the speeding boats we did tame?

Orange Island is an island in the middle of

Xiang River The Xiang River is the chief river of the Lake Dongting drainage system of the middle Yangtze, the largest river in Hunan Province, China. It is the 2nd largest tributary (after Min River) in terms of surface runoff, the 5th largest tributar ...

, in

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...

, the capital of

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...

province. Mao attended

Hunan First Normal University Hunan First Normal University (), founded in 1903, is a university located in Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Hunan First Normal University covers a total area of 1346 mu, with more than 420,000 square meters of floor space. T ...

around 1912–1917.

Yellow Crane Tower (1927)

Yellow Crane Tower, a building at the bank of

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...

, is very famous in Chinese history and literary tradition. It is one of the Four Great Towers of China. Its fame mainly comes from a poem written by

Cui Hao Cui Hao () (died 450 CE), courtesy name Boyuan (伯淵), was a ''shangshu'' of the Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty of China. Largely because of Cui's counsel, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei was able to unify northern China, ending the Sixteen Kin ...

in early

, part of which is:

The yellow crane has long since gone away, All that here remains is Yellow Crane Tower. The yellow crane once gone does not return, White clouds drift slowly for a thousand years.

Mao's poem:

菩薩蠻·黃鶴樓現代-毛澤東茫茫九派流中國，沈沈一線穿南北。煙雨莽蒼蒼，龜蛇鎖大江。黃鶴知何去？剩有遊人處。把酒酹滔滔，心潮逐浪高！ Vast and wide flow the nine streams through the realm headlong Dark and dim from south to north tracks steam strong. In the thick haze of the misty rain, the way ahead blurred and obscured The Giant Tortoise and Mighty Serpent has the Great River stocked and secured. The Yellow Crane has long taken flight, who knows to whither? The Tower hath since stood alone for guests to come hither. As I pour my wine to the raging torrent flow, My blood wells with the waves as my heart gleam and glow!

Mao later discussed the historical context of this poem's writing: "At that time (1927), the Great Revolution failed, I was very depressed and didn't know what to do, so I wrote this poem".

Jinggang Mountain (1928)

This poem was written in the Jinggang Mountains, where Mao organized a Red Army to fight

KMT The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Taiw ...

forces after 1927. Jinggang Mountains is a mountain area at the border of

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

province and

province. It is there Mao began to experiment his theory of

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactic ...

. He was quoted as:"When we can beat the enemy, we fight. When we can't beat them, we run".

西江月·井岡山現代-毛澤東山下旌旗在望，山頭鼓角相聞。敵軍圍睏萬仟重，我自巋然不動。早已森嚴壁壘，更加衆誌成城。黃洋界上炮聲隆，報道敵軍宵遁。 Below the hills, our flags and banners fly Above the hilltops, our bugles and drums cry. Our foe besiege us in their thousands, they advance at us headlong, Steadfast like stone, we solidly stand strong Impregnable are our defences, already we dread nought, Now our wills unite, stubborn like our fort. Upon Huangyang Jie, guns boom with thunderous might, Word comes the enemy has fled into the night.

Huangyangjie is the place where the Red Army beat the

army after a fierce battle.

The Warlords Clash (1929)

In 1929, Mao's Red Army left Jinggang Mountains and marched eastward to the western part of

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

province and built their base there. Line 3-4:

The warlords are clashing anew -- Yet another Millet Dream.

In 1929

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

army began war with Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan's armies in north China. That's why Mao said "the warlords are clashing anew", and "Millet Dream" meant Jiang, Feng and Yan's ambitions were just dreams. And Mao thought he could take this opportunity to his advantage when most of

army went to fight elsewhere. Line 5-6 : Ting River is a river in

, both Longyan and

Shanghang Shanghang (; hak, Sông-hông-yen) is a county in southwest Fujian Province, China, bordering Guangdong Province to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Longyan. Transportation Part of Shanghang County i ...

are cities in

The Double Ninth (October 1929)

Double Ninth Festival, also called ''Chongyang'', is a Chinese holiday. By tradition on September 9 (Chinese

Lunar Calendar A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Gre ...

) each year, Chinese people would climb to the peaks of nearby mountains, looking far away, thinking about their family members who are travelling in other places.In addition, during that day, people will drink wine made from chrysanthemum to pray for longevity. Therefore, in 1980s, Chinese government set that day as old people's day as well to call on people to respect the senior.

New Year's Day (January 1930)

Line 1:

Ninghua Ninghua () is a county of the prefecture-level city of Sanming, in western Fujian province, People's Republic of China, bordering Jiangxi to the west. The town of Shibi of Ninghua is well known as the cradle of the Hakka. Ninghua is also marked a ...

Qingliu Qingliu () is a county of western Fujian province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Sanming City. Administration The county executive, legislature, and judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, ju ...

, Guihua are all places in

Line 4:

Wuyi Mountain The Wuyi Mountains or Wuyishan (; formerly known as Bohea Hills in early Western documents) are a mountain range located in the prefecture of Nanping, in northern Fujian province near the border with Jiangxi province, China. The highest peak i ...

is a mountain in

On the Guangchang Road (February 1930)

Title: Guangchang is a city in

, it was called the "North Gate" of CPC's

Jiangxi Soviet Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north into hi ...

. Line 6: Gan River is a river flowing through

. Line 8:

Ji'an Ji'an () is a prefecture-level city situated in the central region of Jiangxi province of the People's Republic of China while bordering Hunan province to the west. It has an area of and as of the 2020 census, had a population of 4,469,176, of ...

is a city in

March from Tingzhou to Changsha (July 1930)

Title: Tingzhou is a town in Longyan City,

province,

is the capital of

province. At that time the Red Army tried to take

, but they failed.

is at the east,

is at west, so Mao's army marched westward. Huang Gonglűe(黄公略) was a leader in the Red Army; he was killed a few years later in battle.

Against the First "Encirclement" Campaign (1931)

During 1931-1934

government organized five so-called "Encirclement" campaigns on CPC's

in Southeastern China. The first four all failed. Mao led the Red Army beating the first three campaigns, then he was relieved of leadership due to internal power struggles of the CPC.

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...

and Zhu De led the Red Army to beat the fourth campaign, but they failed the fifth time, and was forced to leave their base and began

. Line 5: Zhang Huizan, the

general who led the first "Encirclement" Campaign. He was killed after being captured by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...

. Line 10:

Buzhou Mountain Mount Buzhou (不周山 lit. "Unrevolving Mountain") was an ancient Chinese mythological mountain which, according to old texts, lay to the northwest of the Kunlun Mountains, in a location today referred to as the Pamir Mountains. It is the mount ...

, a legendary mountain in Chinese forklore. It is said Buzhou Mountain was one of the four pillars supporting the sky. A giant called Gong Gong quarreled with the gods. He was very angry and banged his head against Buzhou Mountain. Buzhou Mountain was broken, thus the sky tilted and water poured from heaven, causing a huge flood on earth. Here Mao expressed his appreciation for Gong Gong's rebellious spirit.

Against the Second "Encirclement" Campaign (1931)

Dabodi (1933)

Dabodi is the site of a battle which actually took place at the beginning of 1929. The background: at that time, Mao's Red Army had left Jinggang Mountains to look for a new base. Red Army was beaten several time by the pursuing

army. They used up all ammunitions and were starved. Then on the New Year of 1929 they fought a desperate fight in the snow at Dabodi, using stones and bare hands, and beat their enemy. Mao revisited this place several years later and wrote this poem.

Huichang (1934)

Huichang is a city in

, "Yue" is another name of Canton.

Loushan Pass (1935)

This is a famous poem written during

. Loushan Pass is a place in

Guizhou Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...

, where a fierce battle was fought.

Three Short Poems (1934–1935)

This poem is also known as "the Three Songs." It is written as three poems with sixteen characters each. This poem was written sometime between 1934 and 1935 during the

Mountain. I whip my quick horse and don't dismount and look back in wonder. The sky is three feet away. Mountain. The sea collapses and the river boils. Innumerable horses race insanely into the peak of battle. Mountain. Peaks pierce the green sky, unblunted.. The sky would fall but for the columns of mountains.

The Long March (1935)

This poem was written toward the end of 1935 when the

was almost finished. In it Mao listed some places Red Army had travelled through. Five Ridges and Wumeng are both big mountains in southwestern China. Jinsha is actually another name for certain parts of

. Dadu River is at the west part of

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

, here in a heroic fight, 22 volunteers carried out a suicide attack on the

garrison across the iron-chained Luding Bridge and saved the Red Army from being destroyed. The Min Mountains are a mountain range at the Sichuan-Gansu border area, is already close to the end of Long March's route. To get rid of the pursuing KMT army, the Red Army had to climb over its 13000-foot peak and many froze to death on it.
The original poem written by Mao
Informal Translation:

The Long March at the patten of Qilu The Red Army fears not the Long March, hard and toil Over ten thousand rivers, thousand hills, to our cause we're true and loyal. Five peaks ever majestic, mere crests of a stream, The Wumeng mountains, dark yet stately, we walk clay balls none too extreme. The Jinsha torrents smite warm mists at cliffs, as sands glisten of gold We cross the Dadu river upon iron chains, bone-chilling cold. The exalted Minshan Mountain, thousand leagues of snow, Yet our three armies cross it, faces of joy beam and glow!

Actually, the

was done by three CPC armies separately. One was Mao's 1st Red Army from

, another was

Zhang Guotao Zhang Guotao (November 26, 1897 – December 3, 1979), or Chang Kuo-tao, was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and rival to Mao Zedong. During the 1920s he studied in the Soviet Union and became a key contact with the Comi ...

's 4th Red Army from

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...

soviet, the third one was He Long's 2nd Red Army from west part of

. Here, Mao was glad all three Red Armies were together.

Kunlun (October 1935)

The

Kunlun Mountains The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...

are a mountain range on the upper reaches of the

Hotan River The Hotan River (also known as the Khotan River or the Ho-t'ien River) is formed by the union of the White Jade (Yurungkash) and Karakash (Black Jade) Rivers, which flow north from the Kunlun Mountains into the Taklamakan Desert in northern C ...

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

Province, Northwestern China. According to Chinese folklore they (or a different, mythological mythical Kunlun Mountain) are the residence of a pantheon of gods.

念奴嬌·昆侖現代-毛澤東橫空出世，莽昆侖，閱盡人間春色。飛起玉龍三百萬，攪得周天寒徹。夏日消溶，江河橫溢，人或為魚鼈。仟秋功罪，誰人曾與評說？而今我謂昆侖：不要這高，不要這多雪。安得倚天抽寶劍，把汝裁為三截？一截遺歐，一截贈美，一截還東國。太平世界，環球同此涼熱。 Acrosseth the air, aboveth in the azure, The Kunlun peaks, snow white, Thou hath't seen the fairest of man and nature Three million jade dragons in flight, Freezing the Heavens, up in the bone-chilling height. In summer days, to thine melting snow, Thy torrents rage and flow, Where thou hath't sent many a men to sleep tight With the fishes and turtles down below. From whom has judgement passed to the evil and the good In these thousands of autumns thou haths't stood? Today, to Kunlun I sayeth: NO! Needless is thine height! Nor is all thine snow! Could the Celestial Sword in all it's might Cleave thee in three at my behest Sendeth to the Occident thine crest, Giveth to Mundus Novus thine breast, And keepeth in the Orient the rest. Peace wouldst prevail, acrosseth all mankind The same warmth and cold with none left behind!

Mao added annotations to this poem, commenting "An ancient poet said, 'Three million dragons of white jade are fighting, their broken scales fly all over the sky. In this way he described the flying snow, but here I have used it to describe snowy mountains. In summer, when one climbs the Min Mountain, one looks out on far mountains that seem to dance and shine in dazzling whiteness. There was a saying among the people that years ago the Monkey King (Sun Hsing-che) passed by, all the mountains were on fire. But he borrowed a palm-leaf fan and quenched the flame and that is why the mountains froze and turned white."

Mount Liupan (October 1935)

"Mount Liupan" was written in late 1935 after the Red Army almost finished the

. Mount Liupan is a mountain in northwestern China.

清平樂·六盤山現代-毛澤東天高雲淡，望斷南飛雁。不到長城非好漢，屈指行程二萬。六盤山上高峰，紅旗漫卷西風。今日長纓在手，何時縛住蒼龍？ Heavens are high, clouds are light Wild geese disappear Southwards in flight! No great men have failed to surmount Great Wall's majestic height! Twenty thousand leagues we marched, to this site. High upon the zenith of the Six Coils crest Fluttering in the west wind, our Red banners glow in zest Today, with the long spear in hand, When shall we seize the Azure Dragon?

Line 3 is a quote that inspires millions of tourists who visit the

Great Wall The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand Li (unit), ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against Eurasian noma ...

every year.

Snow (February 1936)

This is Mao's most famous poem. Written in 1936, it was not published until he went to

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

in 1945 to hold peace talks with

. He presented it to

Liu Yazi Liu Yazi (, 28 May 1887, at Wujiang, in Suzhou, Jiangsu – 21 June 1958 in Beijing) was a Chinese poet and political activist called the "last outstanding poet of the traditional school." He married Zheng Peiyi in 1906, and was the father o ...

, a poet whom Mao had met in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

in the early 1920s and who, like Mao, favored the traditional '' ci'' and '' lü'' forms. It caused a stir among Chinese intellectuals for its frank presentation of Mao's ambitions. Now, it is widely studied by students in Mainland China. Below is the original poem in Chinese with both a literal English translation and a metric adaptation using one iamb per

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

The first half praises the grandeur and beauty of northern China in the winter. The more politically significant part is the second half, where Mao lists important Chinese emperors, including

Qin Shihuang Qin Shi Huang (, ; 259–210 BC) was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a unified China. Rather than maintain the title of "king" ( ''wáng'') borne by the previous Shang and Zhou rulers, he ruled as the First Emperor ( ...

, the first emperor of a united China;

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign la ...

, the

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

emperor who defeated the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

; Emperor Taizong of Tang, the second emperor of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

; Emperor Taizu of Song, the first emperor of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

; and

Genghis Khan ''Chinggis Khaan'' ͡ʃʰiŋɡɪs xaːŋbr />Mongol script: ''Chinggis Qa(gh)an/ Chinggis Khagan'' , birth_name = Temüjin , successor = Tolui (as regent)Ögedei Khan , spouse = , issue = , house = Borjigin , ...

, whom the Chinese celebrate as the founder of the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

despite him never personally conquering China. After describing the shortcomings of these past leaders, Mao hints at his aspiration to surpass them, alluding to a famous passage from ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'' where

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

says to

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

that “the only heroes in the world are you and I.”

The PLA Captures Nanjing (April 1949)

In late April 1949, the

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

PLA PLA may refer to: Organizations Politics and military * People's Liberation Army, the armed forces of China and of the ruling Chinese Communist Party * People's Liberation Army (disambiguation) ** Irish National Liberation Army, formerly called ...

(People's Liberation Army) crossed the

and captured the capital of

government:

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

. Mao wrote this poem to celebrate this historical event.

七律·人民解放軍佔領南京現代-毛澤東鍾山風雨起蒼黃，百萬雄師過大江。虎踞龍盤今勝昔，天翻地覆慨而慷。宜將剩勇追窮寇，不可沽名學霸王。天若有情天亦老，人間正道是滄桑。 Wind howls and rain falls upon the Bell Hills in twilight, A million gallant warriors shall cross the river tonight. Like a Tiger Crouched and a Dragon Coiled we strike into Cercis Town, Heaven Turns and the Earth Churns, the World turned upside-down. Hark! We cross, we chase our foe who flee to our advance, We shall not be the crowned monkey, not a single chance. If the Heavens above had Heart and Soul then Heaven itself shall age! In the Azure Seas and the Mulberry Fields, Mankind has turned a page.

Zhong Mountain, or Bel Hill is a hill at the suburb of Nanjing. Line 2: '' Great River '' means

Line 3-4: a tiger crouched, a dragon coiled;

, a great city, had been the capital of six dynasties in Chinese history. Strategiests said this city was like a "crouching tiger", and a "curling dragon". Also can be in reference to Zhuge Liang's nickname of the crouching dragon.

Line 6: We shall not be the crowned monkey, not a single chance.

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...

led the uprising that toppled the

Qin Dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

. After winning the war against the Qin dynasty, Xiang Yu fought against Liu Bang for the control of China. Xiang Xu was defeated and killed. His story was recorded in the

Beijing Opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

The Hegemon-King Bids His Concubine Farewell ''The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell''William Dolby, ''Eight Chinese Plays from the Thirteenth Century to the Present'' (London: P. Elek; New York: Columbia University Press, 1978). (), also known as ''Farewell My Concubine'', is a tradition ...

''. Upon destrouying the Qin, one of his advisors advised Xiang to establish his capital in the same place as the Qin. When Xiang refused, the advisor mocked him as a "Crowned Monkey" （沐猴而冠）. Xiang responded by executing the advisor by frying in hot oil.

Reply to Mr. Liu Yazi (October 1950)

Poems, "For Mr.

," dated 1949 and October 1950. Line 1: "Crimson Land", similar to " Divine Land ", is another way Chinese people call their own country. Line 5: "Yutian", a place in

, here means far away places.

Swimming (1956)水調歌頭·游泳

Mao wrote this poem after swimming the Yangtze in 1956

The Great Stone Wall is one of the first references to the Three Gorges Dam. The Tortoise and the Snake refers to two mountains in Wuhan. He had previously referenced the two mountains in the his previous poem The Yellow Crane Tower. The bridge in question completes the final section of the Beijing Guangzhou railway. The incomplete railroad was again referenced previously in the Yellow Crane Tower.