(April 1930)1

This order is to be followed. In battle, our Red Army has neither the superior
firepower to overwhelm the enemy nor chemical weaponry with which to create
victory. We rely solely on our seething blood and our resolve to fight to the
death in hand-to-hand combat against the enemy and to dye an area red with our
blood. Thus each victory depends solely upon officers and men charging boldly
forward, using our bravery to scare off the enemy. This, however, depends in
turn on having great physical strength, to be able to run more than 100 li, take a
dozen hills, and fight several fierce battles, all in one day. Even this is not
enough, [for] we do not yet have our own ammunitions factory, or a fixed rear
area. When we are short of bullets, we should use them very sparingly; only by
shooting accurately can we kill and wound more enemies. If more than half our
men fall behind when we advance on the run, the unity and the power of the
charge will be lost. If, when we fire rapid volleys, not a single enemy is hit, we
will be unable to destroy the enemy's fighting strength, or to shake their position,
still less to screen an advance. Therefore, without good physical strength, even
the highest revolutionary spirit and will are of no use. Without good shooting
skills, we cannot kill and wound more enemies on the battlefield, and our own
side sustains more casualties as well. Consequently, to do physical exercise in
order to increase the strength of our bodies and to engage in target practice to
improve shooting skills are the most important thing in the Red Army's military
training at present. It is hereby ordered that in all units running during morning
exercises be abolished, that [instead] calisthenics be practiced with weapons or
barehanded, and that another time must be set aside for calisthenics during the
weekly exercise schedule. During evening recreation hours, various exercises
should be done such as foot races, soccer, maneuvers, human pyramids....
When there is a relatively long rest period, the idea could be considered of
setting up simple equipment such as horizontal bars, hanging ropes, trapezes,
swings, hanging rings, ropes for scaling walls.... (these kinds of equipment are

Our source for this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 1, pp. 150-51, where it is
reproduced from the 1942 documentary collection cited in the note to the order of March
19, 1930.
1. This is order No. 8 of the Fourth Red Army Headquarters.