1939, December 9. The December 9th Movement holds profound historical significance. Like the May Fourth Movement, which served as a preparatory stage for the First Great Revolution, the December 9th Movement was a preparation for the great War of Resistance Against Japan. The December 9th Movement propelled the July 7th Incident and laid the groundwork for the all-out resistance that followed.

Following the May Fourth Movement and culminating in the May 30th Movement, China witnessed a nationwide upsurge: workers went on strike, students boycotted classes, and merchants closed their shops across the country. During this period, the May Fourth Movement had cultivated public opinion, trained cadres, forged revolutionary thought, and won the hearts of the people—conditions that eventually gave rise to the Great Revolution of 1925–1927.

The December 9th Movement, by contrast, was an exercise in mobilizing the nation for war; it prepared both the ideological foundations and the cadre corps needed for the struggle, and it galvanized the entire Chinese people. It occurred at a critical juncture when the Red Army was advancing northward to resist Japan and had already reached Northwest China. This convergence of the December 9th student movement with the Red Army’s northern expedition underscored the close link between these two developments and together they helped set the stage for the full-scale national resistance.

After issuing the August 1st Manifesto, the CPC Central Committee called upon the entire nation to oppose Japanese imperialism and to unite in the war of resistance. The December 9th student movement broke out shortly after that manifesto was published. Students protested the oppression then being inflicted upon youth, condemned Japan’s imperialist aggression against China, and demanded an end to the civil war so that all forces could join in the common cause of resisting Japan. The movement stirred the whole country, and the December 9th Movement will be remembered as a major milestone in history.