October 30, 1944

[This speech was delivered by Comrade Mao Tse-tung at a conference of cultural
and educational workers of the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border
Region.]


The purpose of all our work is the overthrow of Japanese imperialism. Like
Hitler, Japanese imperialism is approaching its doom. But we must continue
our efforts, for only so can we achieve its final overthrow. In our work
the war comes first, then production, then cultural work. An army without
culture is a dull-witted army, and a dull-witted army cannot defeat the enemy.

The culture of the Liberated Areas already has its progressive side, but
it still has a backward side. The Liberated Areas already have a new culture,
a people's culture, but a good many vestiges of feudalism survive. Among
the 1,500,000 people of the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region there are
more than 1,000,000 illiterates, there are 2,000 practitioners of witchcraft,
and the broad masses are still under the influence of superstition. These
are enemies inside the minds of the people. It is often more difficult to
combat the enemies inside people's minds than to fight Japanese imperialism.
We must call on the masses to arise in struggle against their own illiteracy,
superstitions and unhygienic habits. For this struggle a broad united front
is indispensable. And this united front has to be particularly broad in a
place like the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region, which has a sparse population,
poor communications and a low cultural base to start from and in addition
is fighting a war. Hence, in our education we must have not only regular
primary and secondary schools but also scattered, irregular village schools,
newspaper-reading groups and literacy classes. Not only must we have schools
of the modern type but we must also utilize and transform the old-style village
schools.

In the arts, we must have not only modern drama but also the Shensi opera
and the yangko dance. Not only must we have new Shensi operas and
new yangko dances, but we must also utilize and gradually transform
the old opera companies and the old yangko troupes, which comprise
90 per cent of all yangko troupes. This approach is even more necessary
in the field of medicine. In the Shensi-Kansu-Ningsia Border Region the human
and animal mortality rates are both very high, and at the same time many
people still believe in witchcraft. In such circumstances, to rely solely
on modern doctors is no solution. Of course, modern doctors have advantages
over doctors of the old type, but if they do not concern themselves with
the sufferings of the people, do not train doctors for the people, do not
unite with the thousand and more doctors and veterinarians of the old type
in the Border Region and do not help them to make progress, then they will
actually be helping the witch doctors and showing indifference to the high
human and animal mortality rates. There are two principles for the united
front: the first is to unite, and the second is to criticize, educate and
transform. In the united front, capitulationism is wrong, and so is sectarianism
with its exclusiveness and contempt for others. Our task is to unite with
all intellectuals, artists and doctors of the old type who can be useful,
to help them, convert them and transform them. In order to transform them,
we must first unite with them. If we do it properly, they will welcome our
help.

Our culture is a people's culture; our cultural workers must serve the people
with great enthusiasm and devotion, and they must link themselves with the
masses, not divorce themselves from the masses. In order to do so, they must
act in accordance with the needs and wishes of the masses. All work done
for the masses must start from their needs and not from the desire of any
individual, however well-intentioned. It often happens that objectively the
masses need a certain change, but subjectively they are not yet conscious
of the need, not yet willing or determined to make the change. In such cases,
we should wait patiently. We should not make the change until, through our
work, most of the masses have become conscious of the need and are willing
and determined to carry it out. Otherwise we shall isolate ourselves from
the masses. Unless they are conscious and willing, any kind of work that
requires their participation will turn out to be a mere formality and will
fail. The saying "Haste does not bring success" does not mean that we should
not make haste, but that we should not be impetuous; impetuosity leads only
to failure. This is true in any kind of work, and particularly in the cultural
and educational work the aim of which is to transform the thinking of the
masses. There are two principles here: one is the actual needs of the masses
rather than what we fancy they need, and the other is the wishes of the masses,
who must make up their own minds instead of our making up their minds for
them.


Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project.