Our Communist Party Must Be One
That Labors at Industrialization
(May 22, 1945)
At present, whether Chinese or foreign, all are struggling for the same goal: to
defeat the Fascists. When we establish industry in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia
Border Region, our work is all for the same purpose: to defeat Japanese
imperialism. Five years ago, the border region only just began to have a bit of
industry. At that time, there were only seven hundred industrial workers. In 1942,
there were seven thousand workers. Today, there are twelve thousand workers.
Thus, industry in the border region has advanced quickly. Although the numbers
are small, their significance is extraordinarily great. Whoever does not want to
recognize this strength, which has been most developed, which is the most
beneficial to [our] vitality and which is sufficient to initiate all changes, is
confused and foolish.
Our objective in holding this great meeting is to strive for self-sufficiency in
industrial goods within the next two years. First and foremost, we must be selfsufficient in both iron and textiles. If we are able to become entirely selfsufficient, the number of our industrial workers will keep increasing. Comrade
Shen Hong and Comrade Chen Zhenxia, both of whom are not members of the
Communist Party, are of the same mind as a member of the Communist Party:
We are all bitterly struggling in order to defeat Japanese imperialism. If we want
to defeat Japanese imperialism, we must have industry. If we want to ensure a
secure foundation for the independence of the Chinese nation, we need to
industrialize. Our Communist Party must be one which labors at the
industrialization of China.
The primary reason for China’s backwardness is that we have no new-style

industry. Why is it that the Japanese imperialists dare to bully China? It is
because China has no powerful industry. They bully and humiliate our
backwardness. Because of this, eliminating our backwardness is the mission of
our entire nation. The common people support the Communist Party because we
represent the demands of the people and nation. However, if we are not able to
resolve economic problems, if we are not able to establish new-style industry, if
we are not able to develop the forces of production, then the common people will
not necessarily support us.
In the anti-Japanese war, the Communist Party leads troops who are fighting
against 48 percent of the Japanese army and 90 percent of the puppet army. From
this perspective, we have both experience and achievements. However, with
regard to economic work, especially industry, we still do not understand much.
However, this single thing determines everything. It determines everything from
military affairs, politics, to culture, to thought, to morality, and to religion. It
determines social transformation. Because of this, all members of the Communist
Party must study economic work, and among them, most must study industrial
technology. Our border region is a college campus, and one of the classes is called
“Industry.” This meeting of labor representatives is a short-term industrial
training course. If we Communist Party members neglect industry, neglect
economics, and fail to understand other types of work that is useful, we will
know nothing and be able to do nothing. We will just be able to do a sort of
abstract “revolutionary work,” and these “revolutionaries” will have absolutely
no value. We must resist such empty-headed “revolutionaries” and study the sorts
of technological knowledge that will cause China to industrialize.
Note
Our copy of this text is from Dangde wenxian, No. 2 (1993), pp. 5–6. It is based on the speech as recorded in
the May 26, 1945, issue of Jiefang ribao.