On Whether Imperialism and All Reactionaries Are Real Tigers [1] (December 1, 1958) I Here I would like to address the question of whether imperialism and all reactionaries are real tigers. My answer is that they are both real and paper—this is a matter of transformation from the real to the paper. Transformation means change; a real tiger turns into a paper tiger, moving to the opposite extreme. This holds true for all things, not just social phenomena. Several years ago, I already answered this question: Strategically, we should regard them as contemptible; tactically, however, we must take them seriously. If they were not real tigers, why would we need to treat them with such caution? It seems that some people still do not understand, so we must continue to explain. Just as everything in the world possesses duality—that is, the law of unity and struggle of opposites—so too do imperialism and all reactionaries. They are at once real tigers and paper tigers. Throughout history, the slave-owning class, the feudal landlord class, and the bourgeoisie, before they seized power and for a certain period afterward, were vigorous, revolutionary, progressive—they were real tigers. Subsequently, as their antagonists—the slave class, the peasant class, and the proletariat—grew stronger and engaged them in increasingly intense struggles, these ruling classes gradually transformed into reactionaries, into backward elements, into paper tigers, and ultimately were or will be overthrown by the people. Even reactionary, backward, and decaying classes exhibit this same duality when confronted with the life-and-death struggle of the people. On one hand, they are real tigers, devouring human lives by the millions. During periods of arduous struggle, the path forward is often tortuous and winding. The Chinese people spent more than a century—and lost tens of millions of lives—to eradicate the rule of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism in China, finally achieving victory in 1949. Is that not a living, ironclad, real tiger? Yet, in the end, they were transformed into paper tigers, dead tigers, “tofu tigers.” This is an indisputable fact of history. Have people not seen or heard of this? Countless instances! Countless! Therefore, fundamentally, in the long term, and strategically, we must recognize imperialism and all reactionaries for what they truly are: paper tigers. Our strategic thinking should be based on this understanding. On the other hand, they remain living, iron, real tigers capable of devouring human beings. Our tactical and operational strategies must be grounded in this reality. The same principle applies to our struggle against class enemies as it does to our struggle against nature. The “Twelve-Year Program for Agricultural Development” consisting of forty articles and the “Twelve-Year Plan for Scientific Development,” both promulgated in 1956, were formulated precisely from the Marxist perspective that the universe, all things, and every process inherently possess duality; that every process contains two opposing yet unified aspects—the law of unity and struggle of opposites. On the one hand, we should view them with disdain: they are trifling, insignificant, unworthy of concern; overcoming them is within our reach, and victory is assured. On the other hand, we must take them seriously: they are far from trivial; failure to do so could prove disastrous. Without hard struggle and resolute combat, success is impossible. Fear and fearlessness are governed by the law of unity and struggle of opposites. There has never been a person who was utterly fearless, carefree, and purely joyful. Every individual is born with a sense of anxiety and apprehension. Students dread exams; children fear parental favoritism, natural disasters, chronic illnesses, fevers reaching forty-one degrees Celsius, and the saying “Heaven may bring unforeseen storms, and man may encounter sudden misfortune”—the list goes on and on. The difficulties encountered in class struggle and in humanity’s struggle against nature are even more numerous. Nevertheless, most people—especially the proletariat and the communists—aside from those obsessed with self-preservation and opportunistic individuals—have always placed contempt for danger and optimism at the forefront of their thinking. Only then do they proceed to attach importance to concrete matters, to each task, to scientific research, analyzing every contradictory aspect of a problem, delving deeply, and gradually comprehending the laws governing natural and social processes. In this way, they can master these laws, apply them with relative freedom, resolve individual problems, manage contradictions, accomplish missions, turn difficulties into advantages, transform real tigers into paper tigers, advance the revolution from its initial stage to a higher stage, transition from a democratic revolution to a socialist revolution, move from collective ownership under socialism to全民 ownership under socialism, and from全民 ownership under socialism to全民 ownership under communism. They can also increase steel production from several million tons per year to tens or even hundreds of millions of tons, and raise grain yields per mu from over a hundred or a few hundred jin to several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of jin. Comrades, it is precisely through such transformations that we advance. Comrades, possibility and reality are two sides of the same coin, two opposing yet unified aspects of a whole. Similarly, illusory possibility and actual possibility are also two sides of the same reality, two opposing yet unified aspects. One must maintain both a cool head and a burning passion—these, too, are two sides of the same coin. High morale represents the heat; scientific analysis embodies the cold. In our country today, some comrades are overly enthusiastic. They refuse to allow themselves a moment of冷静, shunning analysis in favor of mere fervor. Comrades, this attitude is detrimental to leadership work; it may lead to setbacks. Such individuals should be reminded to temper their zeal with reason. Others, conversely, tend to be excessively cautious—

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[2] They are inclined toward enthusiasm. They find certain matters difficult to accept or keep up with. For these people, we should gradually warm their minds. December 1, 1958, in Wuchang, printed according to the People’s Daily of September 11, 1977. Included in Selected Works of Mao Zedong, published by the People’s Publishing House in 1986. (Based on a manuscript.) Comrade Xiaoping [3]: I have written a short article for your review. If you deem it suitable, please circulate it to all comrades present at the meeting. Printed from the manuscript by Mao Zedong on December 1. Notes [1] This is an article written by Mao Zedong during the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the CPC held in Wuchang. [2] Following this sentence, the original text continued: “The ‘tide-watching’ faction and the ‘account-balancing’ faction belong to this category.” On September 16, 1961, Mao Zedong deleted these eleven characters while reviewing a cadre study material titled “Several Questions Concerning Socialist Construction,” compiled by the Organization Department and the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. [3] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.