POLITICAL ORIENTATION FOR NATIONAL GENERAL SPIRITUAL MOBILIZATION
1 May 1939

A Talk at the Yenan National General Spiritual Mobilization and May 1 Labor Day Rally

[Text] Comrades,

Today, a big rally is being held by all circles in Yenan for implementing the
National General Spiritual Mobilization. At the same time, today is also the
May 1 Labor Day. That we hold such a great commemorative rally has a great
significance.

Today is May 1. Wherever possible, all proletarians and working people in
the world are holding demonstrations. Comrades, to whom do they demonstrate?
To the Fascists! To the aggressors! Today all the oppressed peoples and
nations in the world are holding demonstrations and rallies at various
places against fascists and against aggressors!

Today, in China, all of the working class and working people, wherever they
can, are holding "May 1" rallies against Japanese imperialist aggressors.
At the same time, in response to the call of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek,
all the people, workers, farmers, merchants, students, soldiers, party workers,
government workers, and people of all political parties and factions throughout
the country begin their National General Spiritual Mobilization. They pledge
to oppose Chinese traitors, support the war of resistance against Japan,
concentrate their effort, and concentrate their will. What for? Defeat
Japanese imperialism. (Applause from the audience), save China from her crisis,
and transform her into a new China (Applause followed by shouting from the
audience: "Down with Japanese Imperialism!" "Build a New China!"....) This
is the meaning of today's rally. This is also the first point I wish to talk
about.

Second, why should we have National General Spiritual Mobilization? Why does
Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek initiate National General Spiritual Mobilization?

Our enemy, in order to attain its objective and carry out its plan, wants to
annihilate China. The Japanese fascist militarists are mobilizing all the
forces in Japan to continue their fascist war of aggression and to continue
this war of bandits for slaughtering the Chinese people. China's black sheep
Wang Ching-wei, his disciples and grand disciples are giving help to Japanese
imperialism, and conducting activities inimical to the war of resistance.
They are engaged in "topple Chiang and oppose Communists" activities. In
Hong Kong and Shanghai, they are organizing what they call an "Anti-Communist
National Salvation League" with Wang Ching-wei as their chieftan. They will
also establish a puppet government to surrender to Japanese imperialism. As
the Japanese and the Chinese traitors are so ruthless, we must proceed with
the National General Spiritual Mobilization throughout the country, call upon
the 450 million Chinese people to be united, boost their morale to fight the
war to the end, oppose the Chinese traitors, oppose Wang Ching-wei, oppose
the Trotskyites, oppose all the devilish groups and parties, support Generalissimo
Chiang Kai-shek, support the National Government, support Kuomintang's cooperation with the Communist Party, carry the war to the end, mobilize all the
forces, and win the final victory. To what extent shall we fight? We shall
fight all the way to the Yalu River! (Applause) We shall recover all the
lost territory! (Applause) We shall never stop until our goals are reached.
Therefore, as soon as Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek launched the National
General Spiritual Mobilization, the Chinese Communist Party responds to his
call, and supports this movement. It is for this purpose that all the people
from the party, political circles, military circles, civilians, government
workers and students of Yenan are holding this rally here today to pledge
our support to the National General Spiritual Mobilization. We must defeat
our enemy and build a new China! (Applause followed by slogan shouting:
All people of China unite! Support Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek! Carry out
National General Spiritual Mobilization! Support Long-Term Kuomintang-Communist
Party Cooperation! Support the Kuomintang! Support the Chinese Communist
Party! Down With Traitor Wang Ching-wei! Down With the Trotskyites! Down
With Japanese Imperialism! Long Live Chinese National Liberation!)

Third, talking about "country" and "nation," our country is the country of the
workers, farmers, soldiers, students, merchants, and all patriotic people.
It is not the country of the Japanese bandits, Chinese traitors, Wang Ching-wei
and his cohorts, or the Trotskyites. Our country should exclude Wang Ching-wei
and other traitors. If those who ignore righteousness and prepare to be
traitors and those who spiritually capitulate to the traitors and wish to
follow Wang Ching-wei, they should also be excluded. Our nation has been
an independent self-respecting nation for several thousand years, and a
nation which cannot tolerate domination by Japanese imperialism. In our
country and nation, we can only permit the existence of an anti-Japanese
government, and can never permit any traitor's government. We must defend
our motherland; we must thoroughly liberate the Chinese nation. The
Japanese imperialism is encroaching upon our nation's independence, and
jeopardizing our national existence. We must defeat it. We must also defeat
all the traitors and thieves who sell out their country and sell out their
national interest. This is the principle of the "supremacy of the country

and supremacy of the nation." (Slogan shouting from the audience: Defend the
Motherland, Shed Our Last Drop of Blood for the Defense of Our Motherland!
Long Live the Chinese National Liberation! Down With the Traitors and Thieves
Who Sell Out Our Country!)

Fourth, for the defense of our motherland and for attaining the objective
of national liberation, we must win this war of resistance. The Chinese
Communist Party has always advocated: "Resistance against Japan has priority
over all; everything is subordinate to the war of resistance against Japan;
mobilize all the forces to strive for the final victory." What does this
mean? It means "military affairs first, victory first." To win the battle
is our only objective. All that enables us to win a battle, and all that is
favorable to the war of resistance should be done and supported. All that
hampers our winning a battle, and all that is harmful to the war of resistance
should not be done and opposed. We oppose all activities of the Wang Ching-wei
faction, Trotskyites, trouble makers, stubborn elements and instigators. We
want to knock down all those who sabotage the war of resistance. (Applause
followed by slogan shouting from the audience: Resistance Against Japan
Has Top Priority! Everything Is Subordinate to the War of Resistance Against
Japan! Mobilize All Forces! Strive for the Final Victory! Military Affairs
First! Victory First! Oppose Compromise or Surrender! Oppose Chinese
Traitors and Thieves Who Sell Out the Country!)

Fifth, in order to attain the purpose of winning the final victory, fighting
to the banks of the Yalu River, and recovering the lost territory, we have
to unify and consolidate the thinking, will and strength of all the people
of the country, and we must carry out, consolidate, and broaden the AntiJapanese National United Front. This is what Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
calls "concentration of will and concentration of force." All people's will
should be focused on one point--the final victory. Can people's will be
focused on something else? Should we come to a peaceful compromise with Japan?
Never. We must strive for the final victory. We must attain this goal. All
of our strength must be concentrated on the anti-Japanese front. Should our
strength be concentrated somewhere else? Never. Wang Ching-wei wants us to
concentrate all our strength behind the traitors' front and the capitulation
front. Can he achieve that? Never. Some trouble-makers and "friction
experts" wish to disperse instead of concentrate our strength. Is it right?
Entirely wrong. Therefore, all the will of the people should be concentrated
on final victory, and all the strength should be concentrated to one place--
the Anti-Japanese National United Front. This should never be violated.
Those who violate this principle must be opposed, knocked down and beaten
up as traitors. (Slogan shouting from the audience: Concentrate all the
will on Final Victory! Concentrate All Strength on the Anti-Japanese Front!)

Sixth, in order to strive for the final victory, and consolidate and enlarge
the Anti-Japanese National United Front, we must transform the spirit of
all the people in the country, and get rid of all the bad and wrong things.
Selfishness, cowardice, corruption, decadence...are these things good?
(Audience: "No.") All these things should be removed. This is the reason
why we have always promoted the hard working and struggling working style.

Traditionally, our nation has a hard working and struggling working style.
We should make it manifest. We must drastically change the selfish, coward,
corrupt, and decadent style prevailing among many people. The Communist Party
has traditionally advocated for a firm and correct political orientation.
During this war of resistance, we should correct all the erroneous thinking
unfavorable to the war of resistance. First of all, we should correct all the
Wang Ching-wei faction, Trotskyite, and traitorous thinking and all the antinational thinking. We should also correct all thinking unfavorable to the
war of resistance. For instance, some people say: "Marxism is not a good
friend of the Three People's Principles." Is this right? No, entirely
wrong. Dr. Sun Yat-sen clearly said: "Marxism is a good friend of the Three
People's Principles." In violation of Dr. Sun's instructions, these people
are now saying that these two political ideals are not good friends. This is
a thinking in violation of the united front and a thinking in contradiction
to the thinking of more than 90 percent of the working people of the country.
It is an anti-national thinking. All these erroneous thinking should be
corrected and eliminated so that we can have a firm and correct political
orientation. This firm and correct political orientation cannot be divorced
from the hard working and struggling working style. Without a firm and correct
political orientation, we cannot induce a hard working and struggling working
style. Without a hard working and struggling working style, we cannot carry
out a firm and correct political orientation. (Applause and slogan shouting
from the audience: Oppose Selfishness! Oppose Cowardice! Oppose Corruption
and Decadence! Oppose Erroneous Thinking! Insist on and Affirm a Correct
Political Orientation! Strictly Carry Out a Hard Working and Struggling
Working Style!)

Seventh, finally, let us talk about our general policy now, the general
policy for the war of resistance; that is, the Three People's Principles.
The Three People's Principles is the political foundation of the Anti-Japanese
National United Front. It must be carried out in full during the course of
the war of resistance and national reconstruction. The Principle of Nationalism
is for defeating the Japanese imperialism. The Principle of People's Rights
is for the freedom of the people. The Principle of People's Livelihood is
for people to have clothes to wear, rice to eat, and work to do. All these
are very good and necessary. We must resolutely carry these principles out.
From today on, all the people of the country should really carry out the
Three People's Principles! They should not talk only; they should act! There
are many people who say that they believe the Three People's Principles.
From what I can see, they don't, because if one believes the Three People's
Principles he will fight the Japanese to the end. But these people are preparing to surrender. Wang Ching-wei is one of those who have surrendered.
True believers of the Three People's Principles do not oppress ordinary
people, but they are unwilling to give people their democratic rights. True
believers of the Three People's Principles take care of people's clothing,
shelter and food problems, but they are unwilling to improve people's livelihood. Can these people be called believers of the Three People's Principles?
(Audience: "No!") Only those who want to fight to the end, fight to the Yalu
River, recover all the lost territory, refuse to surrender, never rebel
against their own country can be called real believers of the Principle of

Nationalism, and loyal followers of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Principle of Nationalism.
Only those who give people their democratic rights, their freedom of speech,
press, assembly and association without oppressing the people, and carry out
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's will for "awakening the masses" can be called true believers
of the Principle of People's Rights and loyal believers of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's
Principle of People's Rights. Only those who make an effort to relieve the
majority of the people of their suffering, such as to implement Dr. Sun Yatsen's policy of "land to the tillers," and carry out production movement so
that everybody has clothes to wear, rice to eat, and work to do can be called
real believers of the Principle of People's Livelihood and loyal followers of
Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Principle of People's Livelihood. Comrades! All of us
should be faithful believers of the Three People's Principles and good
students of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. We should never be pseudo-disciples, or bad
students. We should not give lip service to the Three People's Principles,
and we should really implement all these three principles. What shall we
call those who only talk about the Three People's Principles and do nothing?
I would call them pseudo-Three People's Principles believers. We call upon
all the people in the country to carry out the Three People's Principles.
Let everybody be real believers of the Three People's Principles. I hope
all the people in the country would carry out the Principle of Nationalism
which calls for defeating Japanese imperialism, and Chinese national salvation;
carry out the Principle of People's Rights which calls for helping the people,
awakening the people, and giving them democratic rights; and carry out the
Principle of People's Livelihood, which calls for clothes for everybody to
wear, rice for everybody to eat and work for everybody to do. What the
country wants to carry out is this kind of the Three People's Principles,
the real Three People's Principles. We should struggle to the end for the
implementation of the real Three People's Principles. (Applause and slogan
shouting: Carry Out the Three People's Principles throughout the Country!
Oppose Those Hypocrites Who Give Lip Service to The Three People's Principles!)

These are the reasons we hold our rally today. It is also for these reasons
that the All-China People's General Spiritual Mobilization is launched.
In short, we must thoroughly carry out the Three People's Principles, really
carry out the Three People's Principles! Mobilize all our forces to win
the final victory, fight to the banks of the Yalu River, recover our lost
territory! We must drive Japanese imperialism out of China! We must establish
a brand new China! (Enthusiastic and prolonged applause from the audience)

--- Notes

*	"The Masses," (Chungking), Vol 3, No 36, 22 June 1939
*	"Guide to the Anti-Japanese National United Front," (7), Liberation
	Press, July 1940