Conversation with the Delegates of the
World Students' Federation, Messrs. Coleman,
Garden, Ford, and Redmond
(July 2, 1938, in Yan'an)
First question: What are the significance and role of the border regions in China
now? Please explain this to us, for we need very much to be clear about it.
Answer: A clear understanding of the nature of the border regions is essential in
order to understand their significance and role in China. What kind of a place is a
border region? One sentence is sufficient to describe it; it is a democratic anti-Japanese base.
First, as regards the popular masses, they all have their own organizations. So
long as they are guided by the principle of resistance to Japan, they all enjoy
freedom of speech, publication, assembly, and association. All organizations of
the people, no matter whether they are workers', peasants'. merchants', students',
intellectuals', women's, or children's organizations, or even religious or professional organizations, have such freedoms. Moreover, the Communist Party and
the border region governments actively support them and help them, so as to enable them to develop more widely. Here, only the activities of the Chinese traitors
are restricted; no freedoms whatsoever are granted to them.
Next, the border regions have already become areas for participating directly in
the War of Resistance. Part of the Eighth Route Army still remains here, and there
are also some local armed forces. As regards these armed forces, the internal relationship between officers and soldiers and the external relationship between them
and the people are imbued with a kind of democratic spirit which makes the officers and soldiers and the soldiers and civilians unite as one so as to become an
invincible force in the anti-Japanese war.
Next, education in the border regions is equally anti-Japanese and democratic.
You may see this spirit from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University
and the Northern Shaanxi Public School.
Next, the economic field is likewise guided by the key principle of supporting
the War of Resistance and is run in a democratic spirit. Examples are the relatively
advanced cooperatives here. The peasants who have obtained land engage in agricultural production in the same spirit as well. It improves the livelihood of the
people and serves the anti-Japanese cause at the same time. There are rents and
taxes here, too, but there are no exorbitant levies or miscellaneous taxes. A unified
progressive taxation system is in force, in conformity with the above key principle.
The next point, which is also the most important point, is that all levels of the
government in the border regions are elected by popular vote. This shows that
those people who say "The educationally backward workers and peasants cannot
carry out a system of elections" are out of touch with reality. The results of the
practice of popular elections here are not bad, as anyone with eyes to see can observe. When the people elect those they like to run government affairs, the government is run rather well. This system is much better than the system of appointing
officials to manage affairs and is especially forceful and effective in mobilizing the
strength of the people to participate in the anti-Japanese war. The only difference
between it and the former soviets lies in the widening of the range of people who
may vote and be elected. All workers, peasants, women, intellectuals, students,
merchants, and property owners enjoy the right to vote or to be elected, so long as
they are not against resistance to Japan, and have reached the age of eighteen.
Combining the anti-Japanese war and the democratic system in the various
respects indicated above can yield remarkable results. Under this system, people
of all walks of life, regardless of which professions they follow and which activities they engage in, can exercise their talents and display whatever gifts they have.
Such are the nature and characteristics of the border regions. Once these are
understood, it is possible to comprehend their significance and role in the whole
country. This system should likewise be adopted throughout the country, to combine the anti-Japanese war with the democratic system and to win victory in the
anti-Japanese war through the wide application of the democratic system. If the
people of the whole country have full freedom of speech, publication, assembly,
and association; if officers and soldiers in the armies throughout the country unite
as one, and if the civilians and soldiers also unite as one; if education throughout
the country is carried out in a democratic spirit; if economic construction throughout the country mobilizes the power of the people and improves the livelihood of
the people at same time; if an election system is instituted at all levels of the government throughout the whole country; if the people have representative organs at
all levels of the government; and if, moreover, all these things serve the purpose of
winning victory in the War of Resistance, then the day for defeating Japan is not
faraway. The democratic system in other countries is a thing which has already
taken shape in the course of history, but as yet it has not been carried out in China.
The role of the border regions is to set an example for the people of the whole
country to see and to make them understand that this system is the most conducive
to resisting Japan and saving the country, and is the only correct road for resisting

Japan and saving the country. Such is the significance and role of the border regions in the whole country. The adoption of this system by the whole country
requires that the people of the whole country genuinely understand it and believe
in its feasibility; only then can it be instituted. Therefore, we welcome the people
of all parties, groups, and those outside parties and groups to come and have a
look. There are quite a few people who have come, and the number of youth and
students is especially large. The fact that, with few exceptions, the majority of the
people describe the system as good is heartening. The border regions are parts of
China and are under the leadership of the central government. They are similar to
other parts of China in this regard. But there is one difference, which is the fact
that these regions have instituted a democratic system. This is the characteristic of
the border regions, and we hope that this characteristic may spread all over China.
Now, there are some people who hold [one of] two incorrect viewpoints toward
the border regions. One viewpoint states that nothing about the border regions is
good. There are a few diehard elements who say this, and such statements obviously run counter to the facts. Another viewpoint claims that they are like a sacred
paradise with no shortcomings at all. This way of putting it is also exaggerated.
The correct formulation must be as follows. The democratic system and the anti-
Japanese spirit here are excellent and worthy of emulation and consideration by the
people of the whole country. But the work here is still limited by certain conditions.
Material difficulties are one example. Much work still requires further efforts before it can improve. The situation is not that everything here is so wonderful that no
further improvement is necessary. So we welcome criticisms from outside, which
increase the efforts of those working here. This point should be made clear as well.
Since you have come to visit Yan'an with good will, I welcome criticisms from all
of you to point out shortcomings here, so that these shortcomings may be corrected
for the benefit of the great cause of resisting Japan and saving the country.

Second question: What is the role of the Chinese Communist Party at present in
the whole of China?

Answer: This question is very simple. Persevering in the War of Resistance, in the
united front, and in the protracted war is the basic stand of the Chinese Communist
Party at present. Its work and role in the whole country lie precisely here.
What does perseverance in the War of Resistance mean? There is such a question as whether to compromise or to persevere in the War of Resistance. We advocate resisting to the end and opposing any compromises. We are willing to continue
the War of Resistance together with the Guomindang, other parties and factions,
and the people of the whole country, with absolutely no wavering, and fight to the
Yalu River until all the lost territory is recovered.
What does perseverance in the united front mean? It means that the whole country
should unite to the end. Only firm adherence to the unity of the whole country can
ensure perseverance in the War of Resistance. Although there is already unity of

the whole country, the unity should be strengthened further. It is insufficient merely
to unite a few parties and factions. It is essential to unite the people of the whole
country. Only when the people from all walks of life in the whole country are
united in certain organizations, and their enthusiasm for the War of Resistance is
mobilized, can the united front be regarded as consolidated and expanded.
What does perseverance in a protracted war mean? There are two types of person in China at present. One type of person says, "China will be destroyed, and we
cannot wage a protracted war." Another type of person says, "China can drive out
the Japanese imperialists quickly, so there is no need for a protracted war." In our
opinion, both of these views are wrong. First, China will never be destroyed. The
reason is that, though Japan is strong, it has congenital deficiencies and suffers
from multifarious internal and external contradictions, and, though China is weak,
it is a big country and also enjoys many excellent internal and external conditions.
Therefore, although China may have lost many localities during a certain period of
the war, it can still carry out the war resolutely and attain final victory. But it will
also be difficult to defeat the Japanese very quickly, because even though there are
possible conditions for winning victory, they cannot all manifest themselves within
a very short time. Thus, whether it is a question of China's progress, the internal
collapse of Japan, or international assistance, none of these factors can enable us to
reach the goal before a relatively long time has elapsed. Hence, we should be prepared for a protracted war and should not hope for immediate victory.
So the present orientation should be as follows: persevering in the War of Resistance first; persevering in the united front second; and persevering in a protracted war third.
What is the Chinese Communist Party doing in the whole country? It is doing
precisely these things. The Chinese Communist Party is ready to unite closely
with every party and faction, and with the people of the whole country, and is
determined to pursue this orientation. This is the role of the Chinese Communist
Party in the whole country.

Third question: Does China have any factors that can reduce the duration of this
protracted war?

Answer: To lessen the duration of the war, three factors must be strengthened. The
first factor is the further consolidation and expansion of China's united front. This
is fundamental. In the context of the orientation of the united front, all items of
work must show considerable development and progress. The greater the improvement and progress the work makes, the more the length of the war can be reduced.
The second condition is assistance from the people inside Japan. Now such assistance has already started. For example, their soldiers are unwilling to fight; some
of them have committed suicide, some have surrendered, and some have distributed antiwar handbills. The antiwar thinking of the Japanese people is also on the
rise. If the consciousness of the Japanese soldiers and people increases by one
degree, the length of the war may be shortened by one degree. There is still another condition, which is the assistance from various countries of the world. We
need the help of the world's students, the world's peoples, and the governments of
various countries. If these forms of assistance are more numerous and become
available more quickly, then our war may be shortened. These three conditions are
related to one another. If China speeds up progress and unity, this may cause the
Japanese domestic forces supporting us and the forces in various countries of the
world supporting us to grow faster. And if the forces in Japan and the countries of
the world supporting us develop faster, this may also cause our internal anti-Japanese forces to expand and progress more rapidly. By dealing greater blows to the
Japanese imperialists, China will also help the Japanese people and cause the liberation struggle of the Japanese people to develop more rapidly. The same applies
to the world as well. The Chinese War of Resistance is also helping the people of
the world in their opposition to the common enemies. Therefore, China, Japan,
and the various antifascist forces of the world influence and help one another.
World peace is indivisible, and the world is an integral whole. This is a characteristic of world politics at present. The extent to which the duration of the war is
shortened depends on the extent of the existence and adequacy of these three conditions. This is also the task of the Chinese Communist Party, the task of various
anti-Japanese parties and factions, and the task of the people of the whole country.
At the same time, it is the task of the progressive political parties of Japan and of
all the countries of the world, and of all the people. Our war is a protracted war, but
we should do our utmost to secure the conditions for shortening the war as much
as possible. Without these conditions, cutting down on the length of the war is a
mere illusion.

Fourth question: After the final victory of the War of Resistance, what will be the
main task of the Chinese Communist Party?

Answer: In short, the main task of the Chinese Communist Party after the victory
of the War of Resistance is to establish a democratic state of freedom and equality.
In this state, there will be an independent and democratic government, a national
assembly representing the people, and a constitution in conformity with the demands of the people. All the nationalities in this state will be equal and form a
federal relationship on a basis of equality. Within this state, the economy will
make upward progress; agriculture, industry, and commerce will develop greatly
and will be run jointly by the state and the people. An eight-hour workday will be
established; the peasants should be given land; a unified progressive taxation system will be adopted; peaceful trade with foreign countries will be carried out; and
mutually beneficial agreements will be concluded. Within the country, the people
will have complete freedom of speech, publication, assembly, association, and
belief. The talents of all outstanding persons can be developed. Science and culture in general can be enhanced, and illiteracy can be eradicated in the whole

country. Within this country, the army will not be in opposition to the people, but
will be at one with them. Such a state is not yet a socialist state, and such a government is not a soviet government. They are a state and a government that carry out
the democratic system completely and are guided by the principle of nondestruction
of private property. This is a modern state for China, and China urgently needs
such a state. Once it has such a state, China will be free from its semicolonial and
semifeudal status and will turn into a state of freedom and equality; it will leave
behind the old China and become a new China. The Communist Party is willing to
ally with all parties, groups, and people of the whole country in a common effort
to set up such a state. Such a state is the object of desire of the people of the whole
country over the past several decades, and it is also what Mr. Sun Yatsen hoped for
and strove for. The establishment of such a state cannot start only on the day after
the Japanese are driven to the Yalu River. All types of work in the course of the
War of Resistance are connected with the establishment of such a country. Nevertheless, much important work, such as basic economic construction and so forth,
can be completed only after victory in the War of Resistance. During the War of
Resistance, a primary condition for the establishment of such a state is to drive out
the Japanese imperialists. Such a task belongs not only to the Communist Party,
but also to the Guomindang and other revolutionary parties and factions, and to
the people of the whole country. This is China's historical task.

Fifth question: What do you think are the main tasks of the Chinese students and
youth in the War of Resistance? What are the main tasks of the movement for
assisting China by the students and youth of the world?

Answer: The tasks of Chinese youth may be divided into general ones and particular ones. The general tasks are similar to those that have been mentioned above,
namely, persevering in the War of Resistance, in the united front, and in the protracted war so as to expel Japanese imperialism and to set up a democratic republic
of freedom and equality. This is the common task of all Chinese whatever their age
or profession. It is only in the particular tasks that there are differences. What is the
particular task of Chinese youth? It is to strive for special advantages for themselves, such as reforms in education and learning, the right to participate in the
movement of saving the country while receiving an education, the right to organize student and youth groups and organizations for saving the nation from extinction, the right of young people over the age of eighteen to vote and to be elected,
the right of poor students to attend schools free of charge, the possibility for large
numbers of young people to go to the front, and so on.

As regards the main tasks of young people throughout the world to assist the
Chinese War of Resistance, I think that, first and foremost, the World Students'
Federation should help the majority of the youth and students of the world understand the necessity of jointly opposing Japan and assisting China, and also understand the link of such work with their own interests, for peace is indivisible and
worldwide fascist aggression is the enemy of world peace. Next, students are the
bridge that connects the various peoples. Through students, the people of all nations should be made to realize the necessity of opposing Japan and helping China,
and the relationship between this work and their own interests. The specific methods of assistance may include oral and written propaganda to persuade their peoples
and governments to provide material assistance to us and to refuse to buy Japanese
goods or to sell goods to Japan, and even organizing international anti-Japanese
volunteer armies in order to get ready to come to China and join the war at an
appropriate time, and so on and so forth.

The people of all China are grateful to you for coming and surveying the situation in China on behalf of the broad international student organizations and for
offering us wide sympathy. On behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and the
Chinese people, I salute you and hope that you will bring back the truth of the
great Chinese anti-Japanese war to the students and people of the world when you
return. We shall always unite with you in fighting for the freedom and equality of
China, and for lasting peace and lasting happiness in the world.