Comrades: Today our primary task is that of the vanguard. As this great people’s war of self-defense rapidly advances, we need a large contingent of active cadres to provide leadership, and we need a strong, well-trained vanguard to blaze the trail. Such vanguard elements are open-hearted and resolute; they act in the public interest without seeking personal gain. Their sole aim is the liberation of the nation and of society. They fear no hardship and remain steadfast and courageous in the face of adversity. They are neither arrogant nor careerists; rather, they are down-to-earth individuals imbued with a practical spirit. On the revolutionary path, they serve as guides.  What we need now is to forge a vast cadre of vanguards who will fight to the bitter end for national liberation—men and women who can lead and organize the masses to accomplish this historic mission. First and foremost, the broad ranks of the vanguard throughout the country must be swiftly organized. The Communist Party is the vanguard of the proletariat, and at the same time the most thoroughgoing vanguard for national liberation. We shall fight to the very end to fulfill this task.

Today we commemorate Mr. Lu Xun. To do so, we must first truly understand him and appreciate the place he occupies in the annals of the revolution. We honor him not merely because of his masterful writing, but also because, as a pioneer of the national liberation movement, he rendered immense service to the cause. Although he was never formally a member of the Party, his thought, his actions, and his works were thoroughly infused with a Marxist spirit. Especially in his later years, he displayed a vitality even more youthful than before. Throughout his life, he waged an unyielding, uncompromising struggle against feudal forces and imperialism. Amidst the direst conditions—under relentless enemy oppression and brutal persecution—he endured and resisted. Just as our comrades at the Shaanbei Public School diligently study revolutionary theory despite their meager material resources, so too did Lu Xun embody a spirit of arduous struggle. The Shaanbei Public School’s facilities were rudimentary, yet it was a haven of truth and freedom, a crucible for forging revolutionary vanguards.

Lu Xun emerged from a feudal society already in terminal decline, yet he turned his pen into a counterstroke, assailing the very corruption he had known and striking at the malignant forces of imperialism. With a style at once incisive, witty, and powerfully evocative, he depicted the dark, malevolent forces of society, caricaturing their ugliness with merciless precision. He was, in every sense, a consummate artist. In his final years, he firmly aligned himself with the proletarian and national liberation movements, fighting tirelessly for truth and freedom.

The first distinguishing feature of Mr. Lu Xun lies in his political foresight. He observed society through both the microscope and the telescope, enabling him to see far and to see clearly. As early as 1936, he boldly warned of the dangerous tendencies of the Trotskyist faction; present-day events have fully confirmed the soundness and clarity of his judgment. It has become abundantly evident that the Trotskyists have degenerated into a traitorous organization, directly receiving subsidies from Japanese intelligence agencies.

In my view, Lu Xun’s stature in China may be compared to that of Confucius, the sage of the feudal era. For today’s New China, Lu Xun is our own national sage. To perpetuate his memory, we established the Lu Xun Library in Yan’an and founded the Lu Xun Normal School there, so that future generations might grasp the magnitude of his contribution.

Another hallmark of Lu Xun is his indomitable fighting spirit. As noted earlier, amid the onslaught of darkness and violence, he stood firm like a mighty oak, refusing to bend or yield. Once he had discerned the correct political direction, he pressed forward with unwavering resolve toward his chosen goal, never surrendering or compromising along the way. Many revolutionaries begin with fervor but later falter—for example, Kautsky and Plekhanov in Russia, fine examples of such defection. In China, too, there have been no shortage of those who, as Lu Xun put it, initially profess “leftist” views, only to capitulate under pressure and betray their comrades to the enemy as a gesture of good will. (Such, roughly, was his meaning.) Lu Xun loathed these turncoats and constantly combated them, tirelessly educating and training the young literary talents under his tutelage to stand firm as pioneers and carve out their own path.

A third defining quality of Lu Xun is his spirit of sacrifice. He feared neither the threats nor the temptations wielded by his enemies; undaunted, he wielded his pen like a steel blade, directing its sharp edge against all that he abhorred. Often, standing amidst the bloodstains of his fellow fighters, he persevered with unflinching courage and advanced with a defiant cry. Lu Xun was a consummate realist, utterly free from compromise, possessed of an iron will. In one essay, he advocated “pounding the dog that has fallen into the water,” declaring: “If we fail to strike while it is still struggling, then when I leap up again, I shall not only bite you but at the very least splash you with mud.” Accordingly, he urged its destruction. There was not the slightest trace of hypocritical sentimentality in him. We should learn from this spirit of Lu Xun and apply it throughout China.

Taken together, these qualities constitute the great “Lu Xun Spirit.” It ran like a thread through his entire life, enabling him to achieve extraordinary success as a writer while simultaneously serving as an outstanding, seasoned vanguard figure within the revolutionary ranks. By commemorating Lu Xun, we must embrace his spirit and carry it into the resistance forces across the nation.

Ultimately, what we must cultivate is a large corps of revolutionaries—vanguard figures endowed with political foresight, a fierce fighting spirit, and a profound dedication to sacrifice. These men and women are open-hearted, loyal, proactive, and upright; they seek no personal advantage, their sole purpose being the liberation of the nation and of society. They are unafraid of hardship, remaining steadfast and boldly advancing in the face of adversity. They are neither arrogant nor opportunistic, but grounded, practical, and principled. Only by assembling such a robust vanguard can China’s revolutionary tasks be successfully carried out.

Speech delivered at the Commemoration Rally for the Liberation of the Chinese Nation, recorded by me at the time. The transcript has remained untouched until now, never having been edited or published. Comrade Mao was deeply versed in Lu Xun’s work, having read many of his writings. This address constitutes a remarkably insightful and original treatise on the writer, and moreover holds special significance for every combatant engaged in the arduous struggle for national liberation. Therefore, its publication today is by no means out of date. During my time in Yan’an, I did not submit this transcript to Comrade Mao for review; any omissions or discrepancies would, of course, be the responsibility of the recorder.