Decision of the Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party Regarding the
Yan'an Cadre School

(This decision also applies to all anti-Japanese base areas)

(December 17, 1941)¹

1. The basic shortcoming of the current Yan'an Cadre School lies in the disconnection between theory and practice and between what is learned and what is used
and in the existence of subjectivism and dogmatism, which are serious problems.
This kind of problem is manifested mainly in having students learn a whole lot of
abstract principles of Marxism-Leninism but paying no attention or scant attention to understanding their essence and how to apply them to the specific Chinese
environment. To remedy this kind of problem, it must be emphasized that the
purpose of studying the theories of Marxism-Leninism is to enable students to
apply these theories correctly in solving the concrete problems of the Chinese
revolution, and not to memorize and recite these bookish principles mechanically.
First, students must be made to distinguish between Marxist-Leninist terminology
and the essence of Marxism-Leninism; second, students must be made to understand this essence (not to interpret literally without real understanding but, rather,
to know the meaning deep in their hearts); third, students must be made to learn to
be good at applying this essence to China's specific environment; all formalistic
and hollow study, in other words, is to be discarded. To this end, in addition to
correctly imparting Marxist-Leninist theory, it is necessary at the same time to
step up education in Chinese history, China's actual conditions, and the history
and policies of the Party, so that students will learn both theory and practice and be
able to connect the two in a lively way. For cadres above the prefectural committee level in the Party and above the regimental level in the military (after the literacy problem has been solved), the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet
Union should be the basic curricular material for studying Marxism-Leninism.

This decision was first published in Jiefang ribao, December 20, 1941. Our source is Mao
Zedong ji, Vol. 8, pp. 43-47, which reproduces this version.

--- Notes

Our source for this letter is Mao Zedong shuxin xuanji, p. 191, where it is printed from the
manuscript.

1. Cai Chang (1900-1990), a native of Hunan, was working at the time in the Chinese
Communist Party's credentials office for its Seventh National Congress. Like Mao, she had
been a political activist in Changsha at the time of the May 4th movement.

1. It is indicated in a note preceding the text that this decision was adopted by the
Politburo at its meeting on December 17. According to Nianpu, Vol. 2, p. 346, Mao not only
chaired this meeting but revised the text of the decision before it was issued, adding several
important sentences.

2. Li Liuru was at this time head of Mao's Secretariat.