Talk with Cadres of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army[1]

(December 1942)

Comrades who serve as brigade and regimental commanders, in the rectification movement you must not be afraid of losing face. If the lower levels have opinions about you, let them speak out fully. Once they have vented all the pent-up grievances in their hearts, their mood will be eased. If you put aside your airs and sincerely conduct self-examination and self-criticism before the masses, relations between the upper and lower levels will improve, and internal unity will be further strengthened.

(When Mao Zedong heard them say that a commoner in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region had raised criticisms of a sub-district commander) This is a tremendously good thing! That commoner has a very high level of political consciousness. In China’s history of several thousand years, it has always been the common people who suffered the indignities of the officials and the bullying of the soldiers, daring to be angry but not daring to speak out. Now he dares to raise criticisms of one of our sub-district commanders, dares to criticize this "superior officer." Just look at how wonderful this is! What an extraordinary change!

[1] This is part of Mao Zedong’s talk when he received cadres of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army.