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SYSU's collection of Marx's handwritten notes on display for first time

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  • Updated: May 16, 2024
  • Written: Feng Xianzhe
  • Edited: Lu Yiwei

On April 29, the exhibition Tremendous Transformation was unveiled in Shanghai, the birthplace of the Communist Party of China.

As a key part of the Glorious City 2024 Shanghai Red Culture Season, this exhibition aims to illustrate the advancements of Marxism's adaptation to Chinese contexts, by showcasing theoretical innovations and tangible achievements.

The exhibition features a total of 452 exhibits, including 267 cultural relics and literature.

On the exhibition, Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) showcases its collection of Marx's handwritten notes of On the Polish Question, which is the first time the notes are being exhibited in the birthplace of CPC.

The displayed handwritten notes comprise two pages on one sheet, which are taken from the 72-page notes by Marx in 1863, who wrote to discuss the Polish issue.

Visitors in front of Marx's handwritten notes of On the Polish Question.[Photo/ The Memorial]

Previously, the two-page manuscript was kept in private, and neither the foreign language original nor the Chinese version has been published up to now.

SYSU’s collection of Marx's handwritten notes contain significant academic and cultural relic value.

Professor Lin Zhao, from School of Marxism of SYSU, regarded the handwritten notes of On the Polish Question as an important and precious literature, which provides a demonstration on Marx’s application of historical materialism to ethnic issues, laying foundations for Marxist ethnic theory and international relations theory.

Apart from the collection of Marx's handwritten notes of On the Polish Question, SYSU has also kept other valuable documents and historical materials, including the handwritten notes of Marx and Engels, Das Kapital in multi-language, the first edition of The Communist Manifesto, as well as Guangzhou Minsheng Daily of the year 1912, which first published the Chinese translation of The Communist Manifesto.

The exhibition Tremendous Transformation is jointly hosted by the Memorial of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China (the Memorial) and SYSU.

Yan Aiyun, director of Research Office of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Xie Shi, vice president of SYSU, together with Xuefeng, director and secretary of the Party Committee of the Memorial, unveiled the exhibition on April 29.

Yan Aiyun, director of Research Office of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Xie Shi, vice president of SYSU, and Xuefeng, director and secretary of the Party Committee of the Memorial, unveils the themed exhibition in Shanghai on April 29. [Photo/ The Memorial]

The Memorial is located in Huangpu District of Shanghai, where the Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China is situated there.

On July 23, 1921, Chinese communists held their first national congress here.

In September 1952, the site was renovated, and a Memorial Hall was established and opened to the public, serving as a platform for the public to learn the early history and advancement of CPC.

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