Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the
Second Agricultural and Industrial
Exhibition of the Border Region

(January 16, 1940)

Comrades:

I have not been to the exhibition and cannot tell if it is good or not. But I am told
that it is pretty good, better than the one held last year. I did go to see that one last
year. If this one is better than the one of last year, the result has been brought about
by the efforts of our comrades among the common people and those of the government workers. If the people in the government do not unite with the common
people, not much can be achieved. There are two kinds of governments: one that
knows nothing but extortion, and the other that helps the common people. The
government of the border region is a helpful government that falls into the latter
category. Behind the one or two packages of flour that the common people have
sent from hundreds of li away to be exhibited, there is an important truth regarding
our fight against Japan, that is, it demonstrates the enthusiasm of the comrades
among the common people. The government of the border region, supported by
the common people, has done a lot of good things, also out of enthusiasm, and we
must develop this kind of enthusiasm. But enthusiasm alone is not enough, and
there is something else: we must strive to make progress. There has been progress
in this year's exhibition. We should encourage and reward these labor heroes, because they are not only enthusiastic but also want to make progress. Among them,
there are members of the Eighth Route Army, but the Eighth Route Army is also
made up of the common people. So the army must not forget its origins, that is, the
workers and peasants. Present at today's meeting are many comrades from the
Eighth Route Army. You should salute the common people and not abuse them.
The common people may swear at us, but we must not swear at them, because they
are the masters; our food is provided by them, and our houses are built by them.
We want cooperation between the army and the people. The Eighth Route Army

has two rules: one is cooperation between the officers and the men, and the other
is cooperation between the army men and the people. If everyone unites closely
and intimately, Japan will surely be defeated.
There are twenty-three xian in our border region, neither more nor less. But
there are some elements bent on creating friction who have sent troops to attack
us, and they have attacked several of our xian. That won't do. What is more, you
comrades who are leaving to work outside [the border region] should take the
opportunity to tell them that we must rely on unity, and not on friction. If you rely
on friction, it will cause you pain, it will kill people, and it will even cause the
country to perish. Many comrades have come to attend today's meeting, among
whom are Mr. Zhang and comrades from Mongolia. All of us should rely on unity,
and not on friction. The only friction should be friction with Japanese imperialism,
designed to scrape them right into the ocean, and not friction within our own nest.

This speech was first published in Xin Zhonghua bao, February 3, 1940. We have translated it from Mao Zedong ji. Bujuan, Vol. 6, pp. 141-42, where it is reproduced from that
source.