Li Da (philosopher)

Li Da (; 2 October 1890 – 24 August 1966) was a Chinese Marxist philosopher. He led the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party after the foundation of the party. Li left the Chinese Communist Party in the 1920s due to what he viewed as its turn to reformism. However, he maintained close ties with the party and its underground apparatus. Li translated many European Marxist works into Chinese. Li's most important work was Elements of Sociology, which had a great influence on Mao Zedong. Li helped popularize the New Philosophy that gained dominance in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. After the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, Li rejoined the Chinese Communist Party. He was heavily criticized and beaten at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and died in 1966. He was posthumously rehabilitated after Mao's death. Li was married to Wang Huiwu and they had three children. Their eldest daughter, Li Xintian (李心田), died of an illness during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Their second daughter was Li Xinyi (李心怡). Their only son was Li Xintian (李心天), who helped introduce and develop medical psychology in China.