With you in charge, I'm at ease

"With you in charge, I'm at ease" (simplified Chinese: 你办事,我放心; traditional Chinese: 你辦事,我放心)[1] is a phrase reportedly written by Chairman Mao Zedong of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on a note before his death. The statement provided a significant basis of legitimacy for Hua Guofeng to succeed as the top leader.[2][3] Its authenticity has been widely debated,[3] and the phrase played a central role in the political struggles that followed Mao's death.
The notes

On 30 April 1976, Mao Zedong met with New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon during his visit to China. Hua Guofeng, then the First Vice Chairman of the CCP and Premier of China, accompanied Mao during the meeting. Following Muldoon's departure, Mao discussed domestic matters with Hua; due to Mao's declining health and difficulty speaking, he often communicated through writing. There, Mao wrote three notes to Hua:[4][5]
- "Act in line with the past principle."[a]
- "Take your time, don't be anxious."[b]
- "With you in charge, I'm at ease."[c]
Zhang Hanzhi recounted that Hua Guofeng shared Mao Zedong's notes with Qiao Guanhua, the Chinese foreign minister and Zhang's husband. When Qiao inquired about the meaning of Mao's statement, "With you in charge, I'm at ease," Hua interpreted it as Mao's directive to intervene in the ongoing criticism of Deng Xiaoping in Sichuan and Guizhou. Hua further explained that Mao had entrusted him with this responsibility to intensify the critique. Subsequently, Qiao conveyed the contents of the notes to Zhang. Zhang expressed concern about the possibility of the notes being misinterpreted or manipulated in the future. However, Qiao dismissed this apprehension, asserting that Hua's integrity and moral character would likely prevent any distortion of their original meaning.[6]
Impact

Succession of leadership
These notes, especially the third, were later cited as evidence of Mao's endorsement of Hua as his successor.[5] On 9 September, Mao Zedong passed away. Intense political struggles erupted within the CCP.[7] On 6 October, Hua Guofeng and his allies arrested Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and their allies within an hour. The Politburo announced that Hua would be the new party and military chief.[8] On 24 October, grand celebrations were held across China to commemorate Hua Guofeng's succession and the defeat of the Gang of Four. At a mass rally in Beijing, Hua ascended Tiananmen for the first time as the nation's supreme leader, receiving cheers from the crowd chanting, "At ease, at ease, at ease..." During the rally, Wu De, then Director of the Beijing Revolutionary Committee, declared in his speech, "Our great leader Chairman Mao personally wrote to Comrade Hua Guofeng, 'With you in charge, I'm at ease,' expressing Chairman Mao's boundless trust in Comrade Hua." This announcement was seen as a formal endorsement of Hua's succession and legitimisation of his leadership.[9]
Personality cult
Local governments across China sent telegrams expressing "full support" for Hua Guofeng. On 29 October, Jiefang Daily published Comrade Hua Guofeng Is the Undisputed Leader of Our Party, an editorial widely reprinted in newspapers across the country and the subject of study groups organized nationwide. The official rhetoric unified around the phrase: "Chairman Mao had boundless trust in Chairman Hua, and the people of the entire nation wholeheartedly support Chairman Hua." Hua was credited with having "the courage of a proletarian revolutionary" in decisively crushing the Gang of Four, and was lauded for announcing the establishment of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the publication of the fifth volume of the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, and the preparation for the publication of The Collected Works of Mao Zedong. He was hailed as "Mao Zedong's good student and successor," "the brilliant leader of our Party and people," and "the wise commander of our army."[10]
During the first year of Hua's leadership, almost every newspaper headline featured Mao Zedong's phrase "With you in charge, I'm at ease" in bold type. People across the country expressed their support for Hua in various forms, including the famous poem Chairman Mao Is at Ease, We Are at Ease, written by "Hu Gong," and the well-known oil painting With You in Charge, I'm at Ease by renowned artist Li Yansheng. The painting, which depicted Mao and Hua having an intimate conversation on a sofa, was printed in the tens of millions in 1977, and many households displayed it.[11]
Controversy
The authenticity of this statement has been widely questioned. When Hua Guofeng succeeded Mao, it was noted that Qiao Guanhua had mentioned that Hua only produced two other notes during a Politburo meeting, leading to doubts. Qiao was later accused of "resisting Chairman Mao's final instructions, opposing Hua Guofeng as Mao's successor, and colluding with the 'Gang of Four' to usurp power," and was isolated and investigated in his later years. Zhang Chunqiao has since claimed that the statement never existed. Meanwhile, Mao's wife Jiang Qing, when she was tried on 3 December 1980, acknowledged the statement's existence but claimed the full version was "With you in charge, I'm at ease; if there's a problem, ask Jiang Qing."[12][13]
Additionally, according to Mao's secretary Zhang Yufeng, in early May 1976, Hua Guofeng reported to Mao that he was "feeling overwhelmed" as disagreements during Politburo meetings made it difficult to reach a consensus, and even a decision on importing 50,000 tons of sugar was delayed for a month. Mao allegedly advised him, "Take your time, don't be anxious." This remark was recorded by Wang Dongxing. After the fall of the Gang of Four, Wang sought to "verify" the matter with Zhang Yufeng, urging her to recall this as a political test, and presented a note supposedly written by Mao for confirmation. However, Zhang later confirmed in her recollections that, after 10 April 1976, Mao had not written anything by hand.[14]
Notes
References
- ^ "你办事, 我放心 With you in charge, I'm at ease". UC San Diego. 1977. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ Christian, Shepherd (24 October 2022). "From Mao to Xi: Power plays in the succession of Chinese leadership". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b Magnier, Mark (21 August 2008). "Mao's successor as Chinese leader". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "A Desperate Move Before Destruction" (PDF). No. 52. Peking Review. 24 December 1976. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b ""毛主席临终嘱咐"的历史真相" [The Historical Truth of 'Chairman Mao's Dying Instruction']. China News Service (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
1976年12月17日人民日报编辑部文章:"4月30日,毛主席会见外宾之后,华国锋同志向毛主席汇报了国内总的形势好,有几个省不大好的情况。毛主席当即给华国锋同志亲笔写了'慢慢来,不要招(着)急','照过去方针办','你办事,我放心'……华国锋同志当时就把毛主席的'慢慢来,不要招(着)急'和'照过去方针办'的指示,向中共中央政治局作了传达。'四人帮'在场,其中王洪文、江青作了笔录,有案可查,姚文元还直接看到了毛主席的亲笔原件。"
[People's Daily Editorial, 17 December 1976: "After Chairman Mao's meeting with foreign guests on April 30, Comrade Hua Kuo-feng reported to Chairman Mao that the situation in the country as a whole was good, though things were not going so well in a few provinces. Chairman Mao himself wrote down the following for Comrade Hua Kuo-feng then and there: 'Take your time, don't be anxious,' 'Act in line with the past principles' and 'With you in charge, I'm at ease.' [...] Comrade Hua Kuo-feng promptly transmitted Chairman Mao's directives 'Take your time, don't be anxious' and 'Act in line with the past principles' to the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee. The 'gang of four' was present on the occasion. Wang Hung-wen and Chiang Ching took notes, which are on record, and Yao Wen-yuan himself saw the originals in Chairman Mao's own handwriting."] - ^ Ye, Yonglie (10 May 2012). "毛泽东"你办事,我放心"之谜". 文摘报.
- ^ "政權接班". 中華文化:網上神州五十年 (in Traditional Chinese). RTHK. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "逮捕四人幫". 中華文化:網上神州五十年 (in Traditional Chinese). RTHK. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
- ^ "关于修改党的章程的报告". Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "《光明日报》发表"按既定方针办"一文始末". 人民网. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "粉碎四人帮后华国锋如何成了最高领袖". 新浪网. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "毛泽东授华国锋"你办事我放心"纸条来历真相". 摘自章含之著《跨过厚厚的大红门》. 凤凰网. 9 March 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "毛泽东写字条指示华国锋"有问题, 找江青"?". 摘自叶永烈著《邓小平改变中国》. 人民网. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "张玉凤揭毛泽东晚年秘密材料". Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2019.