This poem is from Seven Laws and Two Poems to Send to the God of plague. It is a set of poems written by Mao Zedong after he saw the news of schistosomiasis eradication in yujiang county County on June 30th 1958. The first poem reflects the rampant schistosomiasis in the old society and the tragic experience of the working people in the epidemic area through the description of the desolate scene in the vast rural areas. The second one is a touching scene in which the broad masses of working people conquer nature, manage mountains and rivers, and fill ditches and kill snails on a large scale.
Although the whole poem is divided into two poems, it is actually an organic whole. The first poem is about the old society, and the second poem is about the new society, which plays a sharp contrast role. Its organization is like the ups and downs of a word, and the poem is vivid and profound, which is thought-provoking.