Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung


Comment on Hearing of Mao Anying's Death [1]

November 1950

"In war there must be sacrifice. Without sacrifices there will be no victory. To sacrifice my son or other people's sons are just the same. There are no parents in the world who do not treasure their children. But please do not feel sad on my behalf, because this is something entirely unpredictable".[2]

We understand the how’s and whys of these things. There are so many common folk whose children have shed their blood and were sacrificed for the sake of the revolution. They are in need of consolation, and we ought to pay more attention to showing them greater concern.[3]

NOTES

1. Mao Anying was comrade Mao's son. He laid down his life in the Korean war.

2. Excerpt from "Chairman Mao's Revolutionary Family", a Red Guard Publication.

3. Excerpt from "Venerable Old Mr. Xu Talks About a Few Things About Chairman Mao" published in China's Worker (Semi-monthly; Beijing) 8; April 27, 1959.


Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project.
HTML revised 2005 by Marxists.org


Selected Works of Mao Tse-tung