The historical penetrating power and charisma of the times of a speech——Revisiting Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Literature and Art Symposium"
Editor's note: From May 2nd to 23rd, 1942, "for the purpose of exchanging opinions on various aspects of the current literary and artistic movement", as decided by the Central Committee, Mao Zedong and Kaifeng convened a symposium in Yan'an with more than 100 participants. A literary and art worker spoke around the theme of the conference, which was historically known as the "Yan'an Literature and Art Symposium".
Mao Zedong delivered two speeches at the symposium, which were later consolidated into "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art".
In his speech on May 2, Mao Zedong clearly pointed out: "To defeat the enemy, we must first rely on an army with guns in hand. But this kind of army is not enough, we also need a literate army, which is unity. It is an army that is indispensable for oneself and defeating the enemy." He also profoundly expounded "the question of the position, attitude, work object, work and study of literary and art workers".
In his speech on May 23, Mao Zedong put forward: "Our problems are basically a problem for the masses and a problem of how to serve the masses. If these two problems are not solved, or these two problems are not solved properly, we will It will make our literature and art workers incongruous with their own environment and tasks, which will cause our literature and art workers to encounter a series of problems from the outside and the inside. Principles" and put forward the task of "solving this problem completely and thoroughly" by "studying Marxism and learning society".
Recently, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art", the Institute of Marxist Philosophy and China Modernization of Sun Yat-sen University, the Department of Philosophy of Sun Yat-sen University, the Guangdong Philosophy Society, and the "Modern Philosophy" magazine jointly held an academic seminar. , and some academic groups and institutions also held corresponding commemorative activities.
"Theoretical China" network specially invited several academics who participated in the conference and activities to give written talks on relevant issues.
Theoretical China: In what context was the Yan'an Literature and Art Symposium held?
How to understand the "army of culture" mentioned by Comrade Mao Zedong?
Hu Weixiong (Professor of the Central Party School): After the Long March, the Chinese Communists, represented by Mao Zedong, led the Chinese Red Army of Workers and Peasants to gain a firm foothold in the northern Shaanxi base. With the start of the second Kuomintang-Communist cooperation and the full-scale development of the Anti-Japanese War, the Communist Party's Prestige is increasing day by day in the hearts of the people of the country.
Yan'an became a holy place in the hearts of people who pursued progress, democracy, and freedom. At that time, many cultural people from Shanghai, Beiping and the occupied areas rushed to Yan'an and defected to the bright.
This large number of cultural people are the elites of the times. Their arrival made Yan'an one of the important cultural centers during the Anti-Japanese War in China, and it was full of vigor.
But at the same time, these cultural people were not ideologically prepared to combine with the workers, peasants and soldiers, and they had not yet found a way to reflect the new social life. In addition, there were some contradictions among these people, and there was a situation of disunity and even sectarianism.
It was against this background that Mao Zedong felt that it was necessary to completely solve the problems of literature and art, so he convened this symposium.
Of course, Mao Zedong was very cautious about the convening of this symposium. Before the meeting, he had contact with many people in the literary and art circles, as well as Xiao Jun, Ouyang Shan, Cao Ming, Ai Qing, Shu Qun, Liu Baiyu, He Qifang, Ding Ling, Luo Feng and others have exchanged opinions and conducted several months of investigation and research.
It can also be seen from the process of the gestation, formation and birth of the spirit of "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art" (hereinafter referred to as "Speech") that it was by no means born out of thin air, but grew out of the actual social and cultural soil. .
Xu Junzhong (Professor of Sun Yat-Sen University): Why emphasize the "army of culture"?
Mao Zedong clearly pointed out that the completion of the task of national liberation requires the cooperation of various fronts, including the cultural front and the military front.
"To advance the revolutionary work, we must fully integrate the two", "to make literature and art an integral part of the entire revolutionary machine, as a powerful weapon for uniting the people, educating the people, attacking the enemy, and destroying the enemy. to help the people fight the enemy with one heart and one mind."
This is actually a call to the literary front at the moment of national disaster, and a clear rejection of the seemingly detached proposition of the so-called "literature for the sake of literature and art" that was popular at the time.
Theoretical China: What role did "Speech" play at that time?
Hu Weixiong (Professor of the Central Party School): "Speech" theoretically developed the Marxist-Leninist literature and art theory, and in practice marked the beginning of a new era of combining new literature and art with the masses of workers, peasants and soldiers.
Under the guidance of the spirit of Mao Zedong's speech, many literary and art workers have made many new achievements in shaping the image of workers, peasants and soldiers and reflecting the great revolutionary struggle, opening up a new road for the nationalization, revolutionization and popularization of literature and art.
"Speech" is of milestone significance. This important literary and artistic theoretical work is a classic in Chinese revolutionary literary and artistic theory.
The "Speech" is guided by the way of presenting facts and reasoning, and the content is very rich, at least it clarifies many basic issues that many people at the time did not know or were not very clear about.
This includes: the relationship between revolutionary literature and art and social and political revolution; the human nature and class nature of literature and art, the relationship between literature and art and the people; the relationship between literary and artistic works and social life; the standpoint, attitude and world outlook of literary and artistic works; creative methods and creative processes of literary and artistic works ; The content and form, style and genre of literature and art; the popularization and improvement of literature and art; the development policy of literature and art of letting a hundred flowers bloom and bringing forth the new, the principle of serving the past for the present and the foreign for the Chinese; learning the development and innovation of foreign and national forms of literature and art, literature and art criticism and its political and Artistic standards; literary creation and image thinking issues, etc.
Obviously, the rich literary and artistic theories expounded in "Speech" constitute the skeleton of Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought, embodying Mao Zedong's literary and artistic thought in a concentrated manner, and have a very important historical position.
Xu Junzhong (Professor of Sun Yat-Sen University): The publication of "Speech" has aroused great repercussions.
It not only created a new world of literature and art in the revolutionary base areas, but also led the upsurge of the "people's literature and art" movement in the Kuomintang areas, and produced a huge world influence.
According to reports, the first foreign language version of "Speech" translated and published was the Korean version in 1945; in 1946, Japan also issued a Japanese version under the name "The Direction of Chinese Literature and Art at the Present Stage", and republished it six times from 1946 to 1954. .
From 1949 to 1950, 30 countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, India, Vietnam, Mongolia, Brazil, and Cuba successively translated and published this "Speech" ".
"Speech" is undoubtedly a resounding Chinese voice.
Theoretical China: The "Speech" is timeless because it solves many "fundamental" problems in the literary and artistic circles and even in the process of China's revolution, and has long-term guiding significance.
Where are these "fundamental" problems?
Yang Mingwei (Researcher of the Central Academy of Party History and Literature): "Speech" mainly involves literary and artistic work, but it also covers various aspects beyond the field of literature and art, and is a philosophical thinking.
It not only solves the problems of literature and art and cultural outlook, but also solves the problems of world outlook, outlook on life and methodology.
Therefore, this "Speech" has strong historical penetrating power.
The "fundamental" issues addressed by "Speech" are reflected in many aspects, among which the following four aspects are particularly worthy of our attention.
The first is the "why people question".
The first question that Mao Zedong talked about in the conclusion of "Speech" was "the question of why people".
In his speech, he first pointed out that only Marxists, or only the proletarian party and its leading ranks, can talk about such "central issues" and "basic issues" and solve such "fundamental issues".
And this is determined by the purpose of the party and determined by the objects it serves.
In his speech, Mao Zedong pointed out in particular: "Why is the human question a fundamental question, a question of principles." "First of all, we must understand this fundamental issue." "If this fundamental issue is not resolved, many other issues will not be easily resolved."
The second is the core leadership issue.
The Communist Party of China is the core force leading our cause.
The most fundamental reason why the Chinese people and the Chinese nation can reverse the historical destiny after modern times and achieve great achievements step by step is the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China.
The "Speech" pointed out: "China's new culture at the current stage is an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal culture of the masses of the people led by the proletariat. What is truly the masses of the people must now be led by the proletariat." Since it is "for the masses of the people" It must be led only by the party of the proletariat, the Communist Party of China.
This is precisely a fundamental problem solved by the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art.
Mao Zedong emphasized in his speech: "China is moving forward, not backward. It is the revolutionary base that leads China to advance, not any place that is backward and backward. Comrades in the rectification movement, first of all, we must understand this fundamental problem."
The third is the issue of ideological guidance.
The guiding position of Marxism is a fundamental problem that the Communist Party of China solves from the ideological and theoretical cornerstone.
To be honest, it will be more difficult to solve this problem in the literary and art circles.
Therefore, Mao Zedong pointed out in his "Speech" that "there are still many shortcomings of idealism, dogmatism, utopianism, empty talk, contempt for practice, separation from the masses, etc. serious rectification movement".
Mao Zedong bluntly criticized those who "joined the Party organizationally, but did not fully join the Party ideologically, or even did not join the Party at all".
How to solve this problem?
He proposed the task of "conscientiously rectifying ideologically and organizationally", that is, "joining the party ideologically".
In his speech, Mao Zedong pointed out that there can only be Marxist "monism" on this issue, and no "dualism" or "pluralism".
The "Speech" particularly emphasized the "monism" of Marxism, which is to further establish the guiding position of Marxism.
The fourth is the question of starting from reality.
In the conclusion of the "Speech", Mao Zedong raised the fundamental question of "starting point".
A fundamental difference between Marxists and non-Marxists, and between proletarian and non-proletarian ideology, is the different starting points for understanding problems.
Therefore, Mao Zedong used literature and art as an entry point and put forward straight to the point: "When we discuss issues, we should proceed from reality, not from definitions." In his speech, Mao Zedong repeatedly emphasized this basic point of view of Marxism, pointing out that all the crystallization of knowledge includes principles and policies. , methods, etc., can only come from objective reality, not from "abstract definitions", "thoughts and feelings" and "love".
This is the premise of the cognition problem that Mao Zedong reminded us to pay attention to, and it is also a fundamental problem that must be solved first before we discuss the problem.
Xu Junzhong (Professor of Sun Yat-Sen University): "The question of why people is a fundamental question, a question of principles", is still resonating today.
Mao Zedong put forward, "Our literature and art are for the masses of the people, first and foremost for the workers, peasants and soldiers, created for the workers, peasants and soldiers, and used by the workers, peasants and soldiers."
This clearly reveals that the basic values of Chinese revolutionary literature and art can only be based on "people's literature and art".
Many of Mao Zedong's expositions are still of strong practical significance today. They are both historical and realistic, literary and artistic, and have universal guiding significance beyond literature and art.
The meaning of the classic is to read often and always new.
Hu Weixiong (Professor of the Central Party School): The issue of improvement and popularization raised in the "Speech" can be said to be an eternal theme of literary and artistic activities.
At that time, Mao Zedong believed that to solve the problem of improvement and popularization, we can only start from the workers, peasants and soldiers, to popularize the workers, peasants and soldiers, and to improve the workers, peasants and soldiers.
Literary and artistic works are the product of the reflection of a certain social life in the minds of human beings. All kinds of literature and art come from and can only come from people's lives.
All excellent literary and artistic heritage must be inherited and learned from, but it can never replace one's own creation.
Therefore, "Promising and revolutionary writers and artists must go to the masses, to go to the masses of workers, peasants and soldiers with all one's heart and soul for a long period of time, to go to the fiery struggle, to the single most extensive and abundant source. To observe, experience, study, analyze all people, all classes, all masses, all vivid forms of life and struggles, all raw materials of literature and art, and then it is possible to enter the creative process.”
Theoretical China: What leading role did "Speech" play in the later development of literature and art?
Cao Yongxin (Researcher, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences): Since the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, a social fashion led by the proletariat and the general public has been formed.
After entering the socialist society, the majority of working people are the masters of the country, and the working people have new ideas and concepts of self-identification. This new world outlook, outlook on life, and values that are consistent from top to bottom are reflected through education, literature and art, etc., thus forming socialism. mainstream culture.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially with the completion of socialist transformation, cultural popularization and socialist cultural quality education were carried out throughout the country. The people's sense of ownership has been continuously enhanced. The formation of this situation can also be said to be the social and cultural effect of the popularization of Marxism, and it is also inseparable from the guidance of the spirit of "Speech".
Since the reform and opening up, with the diversification of the economy and the diversification of values, the phenomenon of deviation between mainstream culture and popular culture has also occurred in society. It is particularly noteworthy that the social and cultural level has been affected by the liberalization of the bourgeoisie and its corruption. The contamination of values, old feudal customs and ideas also have the phenomenon of resurgence.
These phenomena deserve vigilance.
In the primary stage of socialism and the environment of market economy, we must pay attention to the development and popularization of advanced socialist culture, and keep in mind the "double-serving" policy emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his speech at the New Era Symposium on Literature and Art, that literature and art serve the people , to serve socialism.
Theoretical China: On October 15, 2014, under the background of the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on literature and art work and delivered an important speech, making scientific and systematic, scientific and systematic discussions on a series of major theoretical and practical issues involving the development and prosperity of literature and art in the new era. The profound and powerful answer has become a Marxist programmatic document that guides the party's literary and artistic work at present and in the future.
How do you view the relationship between Comrade Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art" and General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Speech at the Literature and Art Symposium"?
Xue Guangzhou (Professor of the Central Party School): The main spirit of Mao Zedong's "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art" in 1942 and General Secretary Xi Jinping's "Speech at the Symposium on Literature and Art" in 2014 are the same.
The basic themes of the two "speech" are the same, both stand on the standpoint of the people and advocate the direction of China's literary and artistic policy, that is, people-centered - serving the people!
At present, the development of literature and art in our country is facing new challenges.
As General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out in his "speech": Since the reform and opening up, my country's literary and artistic creation has ushered in a new spring, and a large number of well-known and excellent works have been produced.
At the same time, it cannot be denied that in terms of literary and artistic creation, there are also the phenomenon of quantity and quality, "plateau" and "peak", plagiarism and imitation, and the problem of mechanized production and fast food consumption.
In some works, some ridicule the sublime, distort the classics, subvert history, and vilify the masses and heroes; Blindly kitsch and low-level taste, they regard works as "cash cows" for profit and "ecstasy" for sensory stimulation; some make up, shoddy, and far-fetched, creating some cultural "garbage"; some pursue luxury , over-packaging, showing off their wealth and ostentation, and the form is greater than the content; some are keen on the so-called "art for art's sake", and only write about their own joys and sorrows, a glass of water storm, divorced from the public and reality.
All these have warned us that literature and art cannot lose their way in the tide of the market economy, and cannot deviate from the question of why, otherwise literature and art will have no vitality.
The problems of improper style of work in the literary and art circles that Mao Zedong once pointed out, such as idealism, dogmatism, utopianism, empty talk, contempt for practice, and separation from the masses, still exist in the Chinese literary and art circles today.
Fundamentally speaking, this is precisely because the thinking of overcoming metaphysics has not been overcome, the spirit of "great struggle" advocated by General Secretary Xi Jinping has not been practiced, and the original intention and mission of our party has not been firmly adhered to.
In his speech at the Symposium on Literature and Art, General Secretary Xi Jinping expounded on some major issues in literature and art and literature and art work.
For example: the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the prosperity of Chinese culture; culture is an important force for the survival and development of the nation; every leap forward in human society and every sublimation of human civilization is accompanied by the historical progress of culture; without the prosperity of Chinese culture Prosperity, there will be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; the rejuvenation of a nation requires strong material strength, but also strong spiritual strength; without the active guidance of advanced culture, without the great enrichment of the people's spiritual world, without the continuous enhancement of national spiritual strength, A country and a nation cannot stand among the nations of the world.
Another example: to promote the prosperity and development of literature and art, the most fundamental issue is to create and produce excellent works worthy of our great nation and great era; socialist literature and art, in essence, are the people's literature and art; and so on.
Mao Zedong pointed out at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art: "The question of why is a fundamental question, a question of principles." General Secretary Xi Jinping said that the people are both the creators and witnesses of history, and the "people in the play" of history. ", and also the "playwright" of history.
In order to reflect the voice of the people, literature and art must adhere to the fundamental direction of serving the people and socialism.
Theoretical China: Looking back on history, is to better absorb the strength of progress.
What is the value of "Speech" in the new era?
Reviewing the "Speech", what kind of inspiration does it give us?
Xu Junzhong (Professor of Sun Yat-Sen University): With the passage of time and repeated tests in practice, "Speech" has become an important classic in the treasure house of Marxist thought and an important signpost for the development of Marxist literary theory.
80 years have passed, and when I read this "Speech" today, many views still have very strong pertinence and have aroused ideological resonance.
Of course, in reviewing and comprehending the spirit of the "Speech" today, we must pay attention to conducting in-depth academic research to reveal the pedigree of the "Speech" as a Marxist literary theory and its characteristics that distinguish it from other literary trends of thought. and not.
Hu Weixiong (Professor of the Central Party School): "Speech" not only became the theoretical basis for the Chinese Communist Party to formulate literature and art policies, but also has important guiding significance for the production of literature and art today.
Revisiting it and understanding it today, we can feel that the literary and artistic theory it puts forward is still fresh, and it is still the creative rule that literary and artistic authors have to follow when creating.
Yang Mingwei (Researcher of the Central Party History and Literature Research Institute): Combining the series of "fundamental issues" mentioned above, I think "Speech" is also a meeting to "summarize experience" in the field of literature and art. Mao Zedong talked about dialectical materialism in "Speech" When it comes to the question of the position and method of the Communist Party of China, he specially uses this sentence to remind people: "We must take into account the effect, sum up experience, and study methods." This is in line with our party's spirit of summarizing "major achievements and historical experience" at every major historical juncture. It is consistent, reflecting the historical wisdom of our party that is good at summing up experience.
From the perspective of solving "fundamental problems", the "Speech" still has important practical guiding significance.
For example, is the "fundamental question" of "why people" that Mao Zedong emphasized and solved 80 years ago, once and for all?
no!
For the Communists, such an issue involving our world outlook, our fundamental standpoint, viewpoint, and method, is an issue that needs to be constantly reformed "always on the road."
It is precisely because of this that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. In the historical process of promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, General Secretary Xi Jinping specially raised the issue of "not forgetting the original intention and keeping in mind the mission".
The "Resolution" of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee also clearly warned all party comrades to "keep in mind the fundamental question of what the Chinese Communist Party is and what it is going to do".
The people are the country, and the country is the people.
Once it is separated from the people, our party will lose its foundation and foundation, and it will have no confidence and strength, and will fall into the "greatest danger".
For example, about the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
In the history of our party's century-long struggle, the question of who will lead and the core issue has always been a "fundamental question."
This is also a "fundamental issue" emphasized in the Resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee.
The "Resolution" emphasizes "the core role of the party in overall planning and coordinating the leadership of all parties", and specifically points out: "The leadership of the party is the foundation and lifeblood of the party and the country, and it is the interest and destiny of the people of all ethnic groups in the country. The whole Party must consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in ideology, politics and actions." When summarizing the precious historical experience accumulated by the Party leading the people in the great struggle over the past 100 years, the first experience summarized in the "Resolution" is that "Uphold the Party's leadership".
This shows the extreme importance of this fundamental question.
For example, the fundamental issue of guiding ideology requires us to be firm and unshakable at all times and under any circumstances.
This is also a fundamental issue reiterated in the Resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee.
The "Resolution" clearly states: "Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology for us to build the Party, build the country, and strengthen the Party and the country." The "Resolution" also emphasizes: "Marxist theory is not a dogma but a guide to action, and must be developed along with the development of practice. It must be localized in order to take root and localized in order to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.”
For example, everything starts from practical problems.
The "Resolution" of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China specifically pointed out that the reason why our party can lead the people to complete the arduous tasks that other various political forces in China could not accomplish through repeated quests, setbacks, and explorations, "fundamentally. It lies in insisting on emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, advancing with the times, and seeking truth and pragmatism.”
Therefore, we must "adhere to proceed from reality" and "continuously promote the Sinicization of Marxism".
80 years ago, Mao Zedong clearly pointed out at the end of "Speech": "What I am talking about today is only about some fundamental issues in our literary and artistic movement, and there are many specific issues that need to be studied in the future." The opportunity of the symposium takes literature and art as the starting point, but it solves a series of fundamental problems.
The fundamental issue determines the standpoint, viewpoint, and method we will take, the foothold, basic thinking, and goal direction for us to understand and solve the problem, determine what we are, what we want to do, where we start, and where we want to go, etc. A series of major principles will ultimately determine our future and destiny.
Therefore, the series of "fundamental issues" solved by the Yan'an Literature and Art Symposium have profound historical penetrating power and strong appeal to the times.