Mao Zedong studied history in this way; he commented on history in this way.

Author: Sheng Xunchang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles. Mao Zedong read history by commenting on it, emphasizing its appropriate application. He traveled extensively throughout China throughout his life. After the liberation, he always carried a Chinese map with him, planning routes and directions; at every meeting he attended, he would visit the local library to consult a large number of books; upon arriving in a new place, he would study local chronicles and historical books related to the region, engaging in heartfelt conversations and emotional exchanges with local people. This is also a unique aspect of reading history and a method for him to continuously deepen his understanding of it. Mao Zedong's comments on history, though often brief and even casual remarks from daily life, reflect how this historian applied history in a skillful and appropriate manner. Vigorous, earnest, and ever-renewing—this is the cultural value he created through his interpretation and study of history. Mao Zedong's perspective and methods in commenting on history are also a form of knowledge. To observe the past and present in an instant, to encompass the world in a moment. Few national leaders, both ancient and modern, have been as serious yet carefree, solemn yet not devoid of humor, and able to speak off the cuff yet make their insights easily understood and readily accepted by others, as he did in his approach to reading history.