For the survival and liberation of our nation, to resist the aggression of the Japanese imperialist bandits and drive them out of China, and to safeguard world peace, the Chinese people as a whole have risen up in unison since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. All parties and factions have united under the Anti-Japanese National United Front to wage a sacred national revolutionary war against Japan, until final victory is achieved. During this War of Resistance, we must not only mobilize and make full use of all existing forces, but also seek out and prepare new ones. In other words, we must pay close attention to the urgent task of training cadres needed for the war. “Cadres determine everything!” This is an extremely pressing issue, both in peacetime and in wartime. There is no doubt that thousands upon thousands of capable cadres—skilled in military affairs, politics, economics, and culture—are required: some to fight bloody battles against the Japanese on the front lines, and others to carry out mobilization work in the rear areas.

The arts—drama, music, fine arts, and literature—are among the most powerful instruments for propaganda, agitation, and mass organization. Artists and cultural workers constitute an indispensable force in the current War of Resistance. Therefore, the training of artistic cadres for the war effort is a task that admits of no delay. Our border region has been actively promoting education geared toward the war, establishing numerous schools to train general political and military cadres suited to the needs of the resistance (such as the Chinese Anti-Japanese Military and Political University and the Northern Shaanxi Public School). However, there still lacks any specialized institution dedicated to the arts. For this reason, we have decided to found this Academy of Arts, naming it after the late Lu Xun, China’s greatest literary master. This is done not only to commemorate our great mentor, but also to signify our determination to stride forward boldly along the path he pioneered.

We are fully aware that the establishment of the Lu Xun Academy of Arts will be a formidable undertaking, far beyond the reach of our small group with its limited resources. Accordingly, we earnestly hope that people from all walks of life across the country will extend their sympathy and assistance, so that the academy may grow rapidly. By doing so, they will be helping our brave War of Resistance advance more victoriously, ultimately securing final victory and driving the Japanese aggressors out of China!