In 1975 the Publisher Mazzotta printed the two volumes of the Italian edition of the treaty of political economy, which had been published in provisional versions since 1963 and in definitive form in 1973. About thirty Chinese economists joined He Xu of the Chinese Popular University in his activity aimed at providing farmers, workers, and students with a tool presenting an interpretation of the economic system along a Marxian perspective. The essay furnishes an historical analysis of the scientific, ideological and political meaning of this editorial initiative. Verifying the existence of editions of this textbook apart from the Chinese original and the Italian ones would generate an interesting historical reading of the spreading of economic ideas across continents.
Keywords: Political economy in China, Xu He, teaching of economics, dissemination of ideas, Marxism
Jel Code: A20; B14