Mao Zedong left behind dozens of poems throughout his life. Starting with the revelation of his poem The Long March by renowned American journalist Edgar Snow in Red Star Over China, 39 of his poems were published one after another with his approval during his lifetime. In 1996, the Party Literature Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China edited and published Mao Zedong’s Poems, which collected 67 poems. To date, these 67 poems represent the most quintessential part of Mao Zedong’s poetic creations, as well as contemporary poetic works that have been widely circulated and profoundly influential.
The widespread dissemination of Mao Zedong’s poems is inseparable from their profound ideological content, heroic momentum, and eternal artistic charm. First, they reflect the course of China’s revolution and construction, artistically capturing the strongest voice of the times, possessing epic qualities, and forming an integral part of Mao Zedong Thought. Second, they mirror Mao Zedong’s heroic and majestic inner world, bearing strong personal characteristics, constituting a vital component of Mao Zedong studies, and best embodying his unique personality. Third, his poems serve as a textbook and motto for life; nearly every Chinese person can recite several famous lines from them, aside from Tang poetry and Song lyrics. Fourth, they are rich in both philosophical connotations and full aesthetic implications, winning widespread acclaim for their profound content and artistic subtlety. Fifth, by using the form of classical poetry to reflect modern life, they transformed the antagonism between classical and modern poetry, occupying an important position in the history of contemporary poetry development.
It is no exaggeration to say that Mao Zedong’s poems are a bright pearl in the history of Chinese literature. As a statesman, he was great; as a poet, his experiences, knowledge, and broad vision destined his works to attract attention and be widely spread. Mao Zedong’s calligraphy of his poems is elegant, fluent, and extraordinary in bearing. He left behind calligraphic works of about 50 poems in various styles, making him a master of both poetry and calligraphy.
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