Conversations with Naval Personnel on the Yangtze Rivef [Excerpts]
(February 19-24, 1953)

Source: On February 19-21, 1953, Mao made a voyage down the Yan
River onboard several naval vessels, which he also inspected, as a Meany
gauge the development of China's naval forces. While most of the trip of 1?
days and three nights was spent aboard the “Changjiang” and the “ bo
he also inspected the “Nanchang,” the “Guangzhou,” and the “Huanghe
well as two torpeda boats, "53-101" and "53-103." We have been able [0 &
lect four records of the conversations that Mao had with naval personne

ttp: / / .
There is a great deal of overlapping in these four versions, and much
ps conversation is not very significant. From these we have culled the folof the excerpts of the relatively significant pieces of conversation, and where
| er overlapping we have followed one relatively complete version or crecomposite rendition, The structure and source will be apparent from the
wet jhat accompany each passage. For the sake of convenience we have
sven att abbreviated designation to each of the following sources:
e A: Members of the crew, Cruiser XX, “Nan wang de hangxing” (An
Unforgettable Voyage), in Mao guanhuai, pp. 51-65;
« B: Zhao Laijing, “Mao yhuxi he shuibing tanhua” (Chairman Mao
converses with Sailors), in Zhongguo qingnian bao (Mar, 26, 1954), 1;
. C: Correspondent for Xinhua News Agency et al., “Weida de hangthea” (A Great Voyage), reprinted in Mao gushi, vol. 2, pp. 76-78;
D: Wei Xinwen, “Maozhuxi yongyuan huozai shuibing xinzhong™
originally in Jiefangjun wenyi, WL (1975), and reprinted in Huiyi Mao zhuxi,
pp- 573-588.

a
-
. [hear that some of you do not want to serve in the navy. Why? Do you feel
hat there is too much hardship in serving in the navy?- ~-

You all lead a very hard life! . -

If they [the sailors] are obedient, then things will go well, In that case you
{first mates} must pay attention to being good teachers to your stu
dents!. . (Source A, p. 56.)

You should settle down, put your worries aside, and be happy about
Serving in the navy. In the past, when the imperialists invaded our country, in
mst cases they came from the sea. Even now, the Pacific Ocean is not at all
Pacific. We ought w have a strong navy. . ..(Source C, p. 77.)

We ought to be very closely united with one another. Henceforth, it will be
Even better. When the worker and peasant elements become intellectuals and
intellectuals become workers and peasants, the distinction between inteluals and workers and peasants will gradually disappear. . .
oe the past, we were on land, and we loved the mountains and the soil. Now
are the navy and we ought to love the ship, love the islands, and Jove the
Oceans (Source C, p. 82; Source B; and Source D, pp. 581-582.)

We ust take good care of old machines, We must cherish them and use
well. At the moment We have old machines; later on we will have new
ee: You must ousture your children well, and when they grow up, let
w ge an education so as to lay a firm foundation for the revolution, and
36.57 Pel may become successors to the revolution. (Source D, pp.

oc KAA BE


322 | MAO ZEDONG

More than twenty years ago | was fighting ws a guerrilla in these are.
that time I wore a straw hat and straw sandals. The reactionaries thy
rounded us and attacked us on all sides; and yet today, some twenty
later, here | am cruising along on our own naval vessel together wan
(Source A, p. 58.) "

Thirty years ago I passed through at this spot. At the time the islung
over there; now they have moved Over here In the past the hire
harrow, now it has become much wider. ... The waterway has chanp
has the world! (Source D, p, 582; Source c. p. 83.)

The impertalists take advantage of us. We must stand up for ourselves.
country has such a long coastline, we must absolutely have a strong nly
protect our coastline, At the moment, our navy is still not sufficiently sf
we have yet to develop it ina big way. . .. In the past we only had | r
and artillery soldiers, now we have un air force as well as a navy, Our nal
defense forces are growing in strength every day, and only now can ou re

try proceed with its national construction in peace. As long as we wW
aes and apply our efforts, we have a very bright and pleasant f
ahead of us. (Source A, p. 59; slightly different versions in Source D, p
and Source C, pp. 78-79.)
The First Five-Year Plan? in our country has begun; do you all kne
i . You are all very young, (Let's see now .  .) the First Five-Yeu
the Second Five-Year Plan, the Third Five-Year Plan . . . you will bes
thirty-some years old when we arrive at 4 socialist society... and you
still be young when we achieve a communist society. (Source A, p. 5% sl
different version in Source D, p. 579.)

We must first of all pay attention to political education and enhande
political enthusiasm of the comrades. ... This book is very good in it €
tents.’ The oy, ayt too, is ou ani very appropriate for the 0 se

580-581.)

We have been fighting for several decades, Our country is still very P
now, but after several five-year plans it will grow powerful, At this m of
the Pacific Ocean ts not pacific. When we have a powerful navy the impera
ists will not dare to bully us. We must build the coustline, which is ovef
thousand kilometers long, into a Great Wall on the sea. (Source D, p. 580:

Furthermore, there's also imperialism (to be opposed)!. .. Our county.
poor and blank,‘ we have very few factories and very little iron and steel, OF
line of coustal defense is very long. The imperialists bully us preci®
because We have no navy... (Now we have a navy, a navy of our o
navy of the people.)... You must do a good job and strive to build a power


JATSUART — WEN ere foe

You are the navy now. If you are in the navy you mustn't be afraid

«jor and waves. You simply must go out on the sea to train your-

of > It does not mutter if one’s level of education is low. Even the

* iIliterate person can master technology. You have a high level of class

gost ii ess and! abundant combat experience. You are the backbone cadres

of the navy | In the past we scaled the snoweapped mountains and crossed
a marshlands,” what difficulty can we not overcome now! .

A comrade reports: Some people say that we have no experience in building a
Ry {and so] we must learn from other countries in 4 wholesale and undeviating WAY: They also say that fighting on the sea is different from fighting on

jand, and the principles employed in fighting on land are not applicable on the

a must [of course] learn from the advanced experience of other countries.
However. don't think that everything is better if it is foreign. Our own things
must not be discarded. The navy has its own special characteristics, and yet
we cannot emphasize the pecularity of the navy. We must retain the good traditions of our military forces... We can make our own |naval equipment].
In the past, in the period of the War of Resistance against Japan and the War
of Liberation, we were able (o manufacture our own [equipment]; now we
should have even greater capacity to do so. It won't do for us to rely on others
exclusively. . ..

(In a report Mao was told that the emphasis was on the technological sophistication and mobility of the navy, and that the point was made that in a sea
battle the role of the people's masses was minimal.)

The navy too must rely on the people's masses and on the fishing people. It
cunnot become divorced from the masses, It must go among the fishing people
10 sink its roots. Once we have a base among the masses everything is easier
to accomplish. For instance, in the past, when we fought a battle, we knew 3
Jot about the enemy's situation, but the enemy was unable to fathom our
troops” maneuvers. This is the effect of the favorable} conditions provide [us]
by the masses fin our struggle]. The army must rely on the masses in fighting
battle, so must you when you fight a battle on the sew. No matter where you
£0, You must rely on the masses, (Largely based on Source D, pp. 586-587,
Partly on Source C, pp. 86-87,)

Notes

“idioma is referring to the part of northern Jiangxi Provinge an the western bank of the Yangtze
rad Across from Xiaogushan, Anhui (Mao had boarded the vessel at Hankou and was suiting
Ihe Yangize), Mao appears le he stretching his point somewhat. Jinggangshan, bie base of
2 Sin the late 19205 to 1930», was in the southwestern part of Jiangsi Province
See text Feb. 10, 1953. note 2
Mao is referring to a bowk given to hin by the depury political commussar of Ihe raiser

doc KAA HE
“Luoyang” as an example of books read ty the crew members. The book in quetting odealt with the hervic deeds of a commander of torpedo boat No, 414 during the War of
period.

4. See text Jan. 20, 1956, note 27,

5. These three sentences appear only in Source C, pr. 86. b

6. Mao is here referring to what ts known as the Long March, the epic trek made by ;
munist forces across China in 1934-35, In the summer of 1934 the Communist anmie n
tral base urea in Jiangxi were pressed back by KMT forces into an area of not more the
stan and were in imminent danger of destruction. The decision was made to attem
of the encirclement, and the Long March began in October 1934. The Com

pyschological terms, however, it was @ watershed that assumed heroic: proportions. 7
Harrison (1972), pp, 238-259; J. Chen (1965); and D. Wilson (1971).