Editor’s note: On May 22, the Theoretical Symposium for Commemorating the 80th anniversary for the publication of Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art was held in Beijing. The symposium was co-sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and the China Literature and Art Critics Association (CLAC). We have compiled some of the high-quality remarks from experts attending the symposium and share their views with our readers as follows:

Tian Hua

Honorary member of the 10th National Committee of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and famous performing artist

The Beacon and Lighthouse on the Journey of Literature and Art

Today is a big day for the literary and art circles. It has been 80 years since Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) was published. How many things I want to say! Lenin said that forgetting the past means the betrayal of history. When I was 14 years old in 1944, I read a mimeographed version of the Talks that gave me a deep impression. There was a passage in which he said: “Promising writers and artists must go into the massive body of ordinary people and must do that unconditionally for a long time. They should wholeheartedly join groups such as workers, peasants and soldiers who struggle for a better life, because this is the most extensive and abundant source of art. They need to observe, experience, study and analyze all people, all classes, all social groups, all walks of life and all forms of struggle, where they can find the raw material for literature and art that they can work on.”

I still remember these words vividly. At the age of 12, after joining the army, I for the first time heard about the Talks. I was very happy at that time. In the revolutionary base area, how did our cultural workers practice the spirit in the Talks to do our share for China’s revolution? I can’t help but think of the song of the anti-enemy drama club of the Political Department of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region during the Anti-Japanese War. The lyrics came from Mo Ye who also wrote An Ode to Yan’an:

We began to grow since the very establishment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region;

The military region became more consolidated and powerful through all kinds of struggles while we also became stronger day by day;

We sowed the seeds of art and we reaped our spiritual harvest;

We cultivated this land, we sang for the heroic warriors and we performed the deeds by ordinary people on the stage;

Art is our weapon and the stage is our battlefield;

Let’s dance like fire on the battlegrounds of the Taihang Mountains and in the hearts of millions of people.

I still want to use this song to illustrate my spirits for art and my faith in the revolutionary gene of our nation.

On October 15, 2014, I was very fortunate to participate in the symposium on literature and art work hosted by President Xi Jinping. He said at the meeting: “Both historical events and contemporary facts have proved that the Chinese nation has strong cultural creativity. At every juncture for historical shifts, culture can feel the changes in national fate, set the trend of the times and give the loudest call for a new era.”

In the speech, President Xi also emphasized: “Inheriting Chinese culture is by no means easy. It is neither simply copying the past nor being blindly xenophobic. Rather, it means learning from the past for present creation, drawing lessons from the west to enrich the culture of the east, staying rational and selective, refining the old and creating the new, as well as getting rid of passive factors and adopting active philosophies. In short, it requires the inheritance of the past and the advancement into the future, so as realize the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese culture.”

In his speech, he also reminded us: “In recent years, a large number of new organizations for literature and art, such as private cultural studios, private cultural brokerage agencies and online literary and art communities, have emerged while online writers, contract writers, freelance writers, independent producers, independent actors, singers, freelance artists and other new literary and art groups have come to the stage. We need to expand the coverage of our work and mobilize the brain power by all through new perspectives, use new policies and methods to unite and attract these people, and guide them to give their own contribution to building a prosperous society and to become a strong force of socialist literature and art. These words are also deeply educative to me.”

I am also very lucky that on December 14, 2021, I in person listened to President Xi’s speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the Chinese Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association. He instructed us:

“Literary and art workers should focus on their taste, their style and, more importantly, their responsibility. They should consciously abide by laws, adhere to public order and good customs as well as consciously resist money worship, hedonism and extreme individualism, so as to become upright and dignified people. They should summon the courage to face all kinds of criticism, paying tribute to the truth, the good and the beautiful, and using harsh words on the false, the evil and the ugly. They shall never hesitate to write songs about great deeds and also to put the severest criticism on the dark sides. Moreover, a good reputation for the literary and art circles must be defended with efforts from all practitioners in this sector, particularly by self-respect and mutual learning.” President Xi’s words express his close attention to affairs in this circle and his deep affection for people in this field.

The Talks 80 years ago opened up the spiritual world of my childhood. It is an eternal milestone for literature and art workers, a beacon of our navigation, and a guide for us to serve the people forever. The key points of the Talks are deeply integrated into my DNA and helped me to navigate through so many years after my childhood (12 years old) right into this new era. Now, we shoulder another great responsibility for building China into a great socialist power with Chinese characteristics, and we the literary and artistic workers will certainly do our share for this great cause. The Talks are invaluable spiritual assets for us.

By August this year, I will be 94 years old. From childhood to old age, the instruction keeping one’s original aspiration and staying true to one’s cause has always served as a flag that tells me which direction to go and what I need to do to keep up with the times. I will never fall short of spiritual power because I have faith in our political system, socialist road, Marxist theories and our Chinese culture. The Talks will be a beacon and a navigating lighthouse for my artistic career and I promise here at the 80th anniversary for its publication that I will always be on the right track.

Xia Chao

 Chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association

Writing a New Chapter of Marxist Literary Theory and Review

1. Always adhere to the guiding position of Marxist literature and art theory, and contribute to the continued efforts in the localization of Marxist literature and art theory in China.

From Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) to President Xi Jinping’s important exposition on literature and art work, it is a theoretical relay across a century and a shining milestone on the road to the localization of Marxist literature and art theory here in China. Looking back on the 80 years since the Talks was published, every step of innovation and development of the localization of Marxist literary theory in China has effectively promoted the prosperity and progress of Chinese literature and art under the leadership of the Party. Today, we must continue to move forward along the path of literary and artistic development opened up by the Party, to promote the prosperity and development of literature and art in the new era, and to reach even higher grounds in this sector. When doing so, we must strive to continue to write a new chapter of localized Marxist literature and art theory based on China’s realities. The Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association (CLACA) should, with a high degree of theoretical consciousness, advocate and lead the literary and art critics to study, understand, research, and interpret a series of new ideas, new judgments and new insights on the theory of literature and art in contemporary Chinese Marxism and Marxism in the 21st century. Moreover, we should also study and interpret President Xi’s key theoretical proposals such as the combination of Marxism and excellent Chinese traditional culture, the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent Chinese traditional culture, the combination of traditional Chinese aesthetics and contemporary artistic pursuit, as well as the promotion of contemporary Chinese values and reflection of common aspirations of the mankind.

At the same time, with a high sense of historical responsibility and professional commitment, we should also take Marxist positions, viewpoints and methods to closely combine the century-old historical experience of the Communist Party of China’s literary and artistic leadership and the vivid practice of socialist literature and art with Chinese characteristics in a new era. Moreover, we need to make in-depth theoretical research into and full discussion on a series of fundamental issues of literature and art such as the relation between literature and art and the time, the life and the people as well as the creation and assessment of literary and artistic works. By doing so, we make our own contribution to renewing the localization of Marxist literary and artistic theories.

2. Always prioritize people’s response and take their views as the ultimate standards for the assessment and criticism of literary and artistic works.

Putting people first is the most distinctive character of Marxism, while such character is also a fundamental criterion for evaluating literary and artistic works by the Marxist literature and art theory. Adhering to people first and promoting a nature for the people are also the core propositions of the Talks, i.e. the literary and artistic part of the Mao Zedong Thought. Mao put forward the dialectical unification of the assessments from both political and artistic perspectives, and pointed out that the attitude towards the people and the popularity among the people are the most important political and social standards for evaluating literature and art works.

President Xi attaches great importance to the work of literary and art criticism. He pointed out that it is imperative to steer the wheel of literary and art criticism in the correct direction, and use historical, people-oriented, artistic and aesthetic standards to evaluate and appreciate these works. He also said that a good literary or artistic work must stand to the test of people’s response, experts’ review and market evaluation. People’s review should be regarded as the highest standard for artistic assessment. Literature and art cannot be slaves to pure market taste, as the prices sold do not absolutely reflect their true artistic values.

These important expositions are the historical development of theories and standards of Marxism and Mao Zedong’s literary criticism. They are also the improvement and enrichment of the CPC’s evaluation standards for literature and art, the innovative expression of localized Marxist of literature and art criticism in the new era. Meanwhile, these comments provide clear political position, value orientation and direction of effort. The essence of socialist literature and art is for the people, as President Xi puts it, so literature and art should be judged by the people.

As we come into a new historical chapter, we must firmly take people’s view as the ultimate standard for artistic assessment. On the basis of a balance between social contribution and economic benefits, we must give priority to social benefits and always take people’s response as the primary standard for artistic evaluation. This standard shall be applied to the practice of literary and artistic creation for meeting the cultural needs of the people and enhance the spiritual strength by the people, so that the instruction of holding high the people-centered nature will continue to be the brightest beacon on the road of Chinese literary and artistic development.

3. Always use literary criticism as an important instrument by the Party for its guidance on literary and artistic undertakings. Effectively enhance the power, the persuasiveness, the guidance and the influence of literary and artistic criticism.

Both Marx and Engels took literary criticism as a theoretical weapon, a means of struggle to criticize the old world and create a new world. Comrade Mao Zedong also clearly put forward the principle of the Party’s guidance for literature and art in his the Talks, expounding the role of revolutionary literature and art, especially literary criticism, in promoting the cause of China’s revolution. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi has repeatedly emphasized, in his important speeches and expositions, on literature and art that the Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee for the development of socialist literature and art. To strengthen and improve the Party’s leadership on literature and art work, we must attach great importance to and effectively strengthen the work of literary and art criticism.

He pointed out that in order to promote the prosperity and development of literature and art in the new era and head for even higher grounds of this sector, it is urgent to sharpen the ideological weapon of literature and art criticism to attack the bad and defend the good. In particular, people in this circle must have the ability to know, to dare and to tell right from wrong in terms of literary and artistic works, incidents in this circle, trends of thought and the corresponding criticisms. We must take the important expositions of President Xi as our guidance, and effectively enhance the professionalism, authority, power, persuasiveness, guidance and influence of literary and art criticism, so as to create a clean and upright ecosystem for this sector. Moreover, this also aims at providing the public with value direction, spiritual guidance and aesthetic nurturing. By doing so, the literary and artistic critics circle can do our share in laying a solid ideological basis for the modernization of a multi-ethic country and the rejuvenation of the great Chinese nation.

Zhong Chengxiang

 Researcher of the China Central Institute for Culture and History and first Chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association

A Lighthouse Shining for 80 Years: a Return to Classical Art and an Advancement of Creation

Over the past 80 years, Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Forum on Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as the Talks) has been a beacon that has always illuminated the direction of China’s literary and artistic undertakings for its people. The Talks has withstood the test of the history and the assessment by the people, becoming a living classic of Marxist literary and artistic theory.

First, a balance between eternal principles and contingent plans

The Talks has struck a balance between the eternal principles and the contingent plans for literary and artistic works, together with people-centered nature as its very essence. Comrade Hu Qiaomu wrote in On Before and After the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art that not long after the official speech, Chairman Mao told me that Guo Moruo and Mao Dun expressed their opinions. Guo said that there should be a balance between eternal principles and contingent plans, which means we have to abide by some eternally correct literary and artistic theories while some special cases would also be considered since we are now fighting against the Japanese invaders, i.e. a special historical period that allows some reasonable rules.

The former is about the basic theoretical issues of literature and art involved in the Talks, focusing on the relation between literature and art and the life, and the relation between literature and art and the people. The Talks pointed out that life is the only source of literary and artistic inspiration while anything else is of tributary significance, while writers and artists must unconditionally go deep into the life of ordinary people’s fiery struggle for the revolution. For the people is the very root of art and the essential principle for creation. Therefore, writers and artists must take a people-oriented view and serve the interests of the people.

As for the latter one, the Talks expounds the relation between literature and art and politics, which aims at a specific situation of the complex political and military struggles for the Anti-Japanese War at that time, so as to give play to the fighting nature of the Party-led literature and art in the entire revolution. Under such a special circumstance, literature and art should be subordinate to politics and serve politics. This is required by the urgent international and domestic situation, which has its own historical reasons and particular logics.

Second, a lighthouse for the creation of literary and artistic works

Second, the Talks serves as a beacon of literary and artistic creation and criticism by defining a dialectical relation between literary and artistic creation and people’ life. Therefore, writers and artists were encouraged to go deep into the lives of ordinary people to find artistic inspirations, from the people’s perspective, for their production. They can then combine the realist spirits with romantic feelings, and open up a road for the continuous deepening of the reform on realist creations. Entering the new era, President Xi Jinping has inherited and developed the spirit of the Talks, emphasizing that the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty is the eternal value of literature and art. He also emphasized the need to combine the basic principles of Marxism with excellent traditional Chinese culture.

These propositions are of great guiding significance for promoting the main theme of the new era, advocating a diversification of literature and art, which can give close depiction, detailed record and clarified morality of the times with the people-centered principle as the key. When it comes to literary criticism, the Talks gives a set of standards that are then renewed into a new series of criteria featuring a good coordination of historical significance, people as the core, artistic taste and aesthetic pursuits. In this process, the localization of Marxist literary criticism standards has gone through a scientific and dialectical renewal.

 Third, the relation between popularity and excellence

The Talks also discussed the dialectical relation between popularity and excellence that is of contemporary value and practical significance. When talking about how to serve the people, the Talks made particular discussion on the dialectical relation between popularity and excellence. In the past 80 years, such relation has become more and more important in practice because it is so adaptive and precisely-correct. At present, with the continuous development of reform and opening up as well as the building of socialism in the new era, the objects of popularization and improvement of literature and art have become more and more diverse and complex. However, it is still our theoretical guide today. We must learn the guiding ideas from the Talks by seeking the popular spread of literature and art among ordinary people and creating excellent literary and artistic works that can take the lead or even surpass the times.

When studying the Talks, we need to make sure that literary and artistic undertakings in the new era must oppose “entertainment-oriented”, oppose “vulgar” and oppose “revenue-oriented”. Rather, we should give full play to the positive role of literature and art in enhancing the national morale. As long as we truly focus bringing literature to the people, nourishing people’s mind with art, and making statues to illustrate beauty, we can definitely raise the self-consciousness of the people with our guidance and confidence. Therefore, the relation between popularity and excellence will be properly handled.

Fourth, a guidance for mobilizing people from all artistic circles

The Talks can be used for the united front of literature and art in the new era. 80 years ago, Comrade Mao Zedong in person examined and approved the list of people invited to participate in the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art. Literary artists such as He Qifang, Jin Ziguang and Zhong Jingzhi were very happy because in the past, what they had received were just notices, but this time it was a very formal letter of invitation that said the forum would be held for the exchange of ideas instead of listening to a report. The Talks provides a historical landmark for uniting people in literary and art circles to fight the enemy together and formulating effective literature and art policies, thus laying a solid foundation for consolidating the united front of the literary and art circles.

72 years after the Talks was published, President Xi also invited 72 litterateurs and artists to hold another forum on literature and art in Beijing and delivered an important speech. He stresses that the literature and art circles should strengthen solidarity amid the new age and new environment and stay true to the original aspiration and move forward for reaching the long-held commitment. For the endless emergence of new literary and artistic individuals and groups on the Internet, President Xi further enriched and improved the idea of a united front for literature and art in the Talks, emphasizing the need to extend the arm to welcome as many as possible of those who want to joint our cause, thus providing important guidelines and instructions for consolidating and expanding the united front of literature and art in the new era by using brand-new policies and methods to unite and attract people from all kinds of literary and artistic circles.

Dong Xuewen

 Professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University

For the People: the Right Way for the Development of Literature and Art

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the publication for Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks). The far-reaching influence and outstanding contribution of the Talks are extremely rare in the history of Marxist literary theory. The Talks has made many achievements, while the most fundamental point is that it has creatively found the correct path for the development of Chinese literature and art under the leadership of the Party on the basis of the combination of Marxist literature and art theory with China’s own realities. This is a contribution that will go down in history and a miracle in the history of literary and artistic movements. Admittedly, this path is no easy feat but the hard-won result of historical experience and practical exploration, and the precious outcome learned from countless tortuous lessons. Confirming this path is of great significance to the development of Chinese literature and art as well as the training of literary and artistic talents.

Direction is never something unimportant but a key matter that determines the success or failure. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development of literature and cause. His Speech at the Symposium on Literary and Art Work is completely consistent with the Talks by Mao Zedong in the 1940s, giving the exactly same way for the literary and artistic undertakings as well as an updated version of understanding that is in line with the new era. President Xi has carried the past forward and forged further into the future, pointing out the way for the development of socialist literature and art with Chinese characteristics under new historical conditions. Remarks from both Mao and Xi are both priceless treasures for us to promote the prosperity of literature and art.

The reason behind this is that both of them have closely combined general principles of Marxism with specific realities of Chinese literature and art, and both of them realized the localization of Marxist literature and art theory in China. This kind of localization is not the direct outcome of classical literary theories or the simple copy of traditional Chinese literary theories. Rather, it is the localization that both adheres to and further develops the Marxist literary theory, and the localization that both absorbs and further transforms the heritage of excellent literary theory, and the localization that realizes the unity of universality and particularity. In this regard, they have irreplaceable value and function in the history of Chinese modern and contemporary literary theory.

From Chairman Mao’s Talks to President Xi’s Speech, China’s literary and artistic undertakings have undergone profound changes in between. In the face of such changes, it is not difficult to find that what President Xi insists is still the road of literary and artistic development pioneered by the Chinese communists, and what he promotes is still the theory for literature and art that are created by Chinese communists, and what he strengthens is still the leadership by the Party over literature and art affairs exercised by Chinese communists, all represented by Mao. This is the true essence and crux of these two pieces of remarks.

President Xi has given his own insights into the future direction of Chinese literature and art, while his summary and generalization of the development path of literature and art are also accurate and profound. In his view, direction determines the path, and the path determines the destiny. There is no specific development model that is applicable everywhere in the world, nor is there a fixed development path. One’s development path of literature and art must be practiced and explored by oneself.

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association, he said: in the past 100 years, the Party has led the literary and art circles for exploration and practice. The Party has come up with a Marxist-led guideline that is in line with China’s national conditions and cultural realities, with holding high the people-centered nature as the overarching principle for direction. In such concise words, Xi reveals and summarizes the basic connotation of China’s literature and art development path. Specifically, this road was explored with great difficulty under the leadership of the CPC. The march on this road must be guided by Marxism. The implication of this road is in line with China’s national realities and long-standing cultural traditions. The purpose of this road is to thoroughly serve the people, while the function of this road is conducive to the development and prosperity of literature and art. President Xi’s generalization is the crystallization of the experience of China’s century-old literary and art movement, a new component of socialist literary and artistic theory with Chinese characteristics, and a new realm of the localization of Marxist literary theory.

President Xi pointed out that at this moment, all comrades in the Party must keep in mind that the road determines destiny, and how difficult it is to find a correct path. We must unswervingly walk on it. As we review Mao Zedong’s Talks today, we also faithfully study President Xi’s Speech. By implementing the spirit of President Xi’s important keynote speech at the opening ceremonies of the 11th National Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of the Chinese Writers Association, we always need to adhere to the people-centered principle, grasp the historical process and the general trend of the times, strengthen the leadership of the Party, and confidently walk on the road of socialist literature and art with Chinese characteristics. This is the sacred duty and mission for literary and artistic workers.

Wang Ankui

Research fellow at Chinese National Academy of Arts

Mao’s Talks Opens New Grounds for Chinese Opera

The core idea of Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) is that literature and art should serve the vast body of ordinary people. The Talks discussed the fundamental issue of who to serve and how to serve. It pointed out the future direction of Chinese literature and art, including that of opera.

Chinese opera is an important part of China’s excellent traditional culture and has a strong bond with the people. After studying the Talks, opera workers from all over the country began to know that opera can serve the newly-established socialist system and, at the same time, must be based on the needs of hundreds of millions of ordinary people. Meanwhile, Chinese opera should be in accordance with people’s aesthetic standards for reform and development. Our predecessors worked hard to carry out practical exploration, and every step they made was affirmed and encouraged by Chairman Mao.

In October 1942, the Yan’an Pingju Opera Research Institute was established, and Mao gave his encouragement through a piece of calligraphy: introduce the old and bring forth the new. In January 1944, Mao wrote to the directors Yang Shaoxuan and Qi Yanming after watching the performance of Bishang Liangshan (No Way-Out But Rebellion) performed by the Party School Club of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, saying that you have rectified the distorted history by old opera playwrights, so it is worth celebrating. Your move will be the epic beginning of the revolution on old drama. I am very happy when I think of this. I hope that you will make more plays and perform more, and that will become popular throughout the country. In 1947, when speaking to the performance team of Jinsui Pingju Theater, he said: you learnt from old operas but also creates new ones, so I hope you will boldly create more artistic works, and you will need to remodel more old theaters after the PLA takes bigger cities in the future.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Party and the government put the reform and development of the opera industry at an important position in its overall cultural undertaking. In April 1951, the Chinese National Academy of Opera was established, and Mao gave his guidance in a piece of calligraphy as well: let a hundred flowers bloom and bring forth the new. Both points are the perfect combination between traditional Chinese aesthetic philosophy and the art of opera. Ancient Chinese philosophy advocates harmony but not conformity and harmony is productive while conformity is unsustainable, emphasizing the diversity of beauty. There are many kinds of opera art, with different regional characteristics. At the same time, we must pay attention to innovation while inheriting traditional ones. Therefore, let a hundred flowers bloom and bring forth the new is very consistent with the law of opera art, and only by doing so can it meet the spiritual and cultural requirements of the people. Therefore, this concept is the best guidance for the reform and development of opera, and also the manifestation of the spirit of the Talks in the opera circle.

In the process of researching the creation of opera, the history of Chinese contemporary opera and the theory of opera, the author has interviewed dozens of dramatists of the older generation and read their articles and related materials. One common thing among them is that they have all grown up under the guidance of the Talk. For example, Mr. Zhang Geng, who used to be Director of the Department of Drama at the Yan’an Lu Xun Academy of Art and lived in Yan’an for 8 years. After studying the Talks, he led the work team to promote the Yangko dance, a very encouraging and uplift form of traditional Chinese folk dance, among the massive body of ordinary people. He recalled for many times that studying the Talks meant that I have embarked on a brand new journey and entered the vast body of ordinary people. After the founding of the PRC, many other old dramatists, such as performing artists Mei Lanfang and Zhou Xinfang, encouraged by the spirits from the Talks, gave outstanding performance for the massive body of workers, peasants and soldiers with unprecedented political enthusiasm; Guo Hancheng, Liu Housheng and others devoted their whole lives to the study of opera and the cause of opera; Huang Junyao, Yang Lanchun and other playwrights went deep into the grassroots and came up with popular works such as Liang Qiuyan and Chaoyang Valley. These dramatists have also profoundly influenced young followers with their own works and stories.

President Xi’s Speech at the Symposium on Literary and Art Work and a series of corresponding expositions on literature and art undertakings are both the inheritance and development of Mao’s literary and artistic thoughts. Xi also regards the people-centered principle as the very essence of literary and artistic affairs, while he, according to the characteristics of the new era, further makes a comprehensive and profound exposition on the connotation for this idea, together with the social responsibilities for writers and artists. Moreover, Xi gives deeper and further explanation on the understanding of traditional culture, on the relation between popularity and excellence, and on the standards for literary and artistic criticism. Xi puts forward ardent expectations and requirements for the creation of literary and artistic, classic and epic works, which are also the requirements of the people and this era.

Today, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the publication for Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks and we should also combine the study on his literary and artistic thoughts with the discussion of President Xi’s recent remarks. Mr. Zhang Geng and other dramatists from the older generation are the best examples whose steps we follow to walk on a new road like the Long March and to make even greater contribution to the cause of socialist literature and art.

Wang Yichuan

Member of the Presidium of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Vice Chairman of China Literature and Art Critics Association, and professor at the Center for Literary Theory Studies of Beijing Normal University

80 Years of Evolution in the Classical Paradigm of Modern Chinese Literature and Art

-- From Cognitive to Cognitive-Retrospective

Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) opened up a new path for the typification of literature and art for modern Chinese literature and art, which is of great and far-reaching significance. Please allow me to make three points of further explanation:

First, the Talks has created and led a typical form of creating classic literature and art in modern China. Part of the great historical significance of the Talks is that on the basis of the trend of creation of and criticism on typical literary paradigms initiated by Lu Xun and Qu Qiubai, the Talks created and led a self-conscious path for the production of modern Chinese literature and art. The Talks also made the following specific provisions on the concept of literary and artistic paradigms: firstly, in terms of the source of artistic beauty, literary and artistic paradigms originate from the life of ordinary people but reach a higher level than its source; secondly, in terms of artistic beauty characteristics, literary and artistic paradigms can illustrate universal principles through the production of a kaleidoscopic range of works; thirdly; as for the actual outcome of social functions of artistic beauty, literary and artistic paradigms can wake up the ordinary people and make them upbeat.

Second, the three-period changes of the typical paradigm of modern Chinese literature and art. In the 80 years since the publication of the Talks, the typical paradigm of modern Chinese literature and art has undergone three periods of change.

The first period is from the publication of the Talks to the end of the 1970s, and the typification of literature and art is committed to creating a cognitive model that shows the essence of society in the characteristic description of the personality, that is, a kind of personalized description that is real, profound and vivid. The typical image of cognitive function can be highlighted in order to recognize real life.

The second period is from the late 1970s to the late 1990s. Starting from Deng Xiaoping’s congratulatory speech at the 4th Congress of Representatives from the Literature and Art Circles, the diversification and expansion of typical paradigms appeared in typical reflections. The first is the reflection on cognitive model itself, focusing on the deviation from or misunderstanding of the cognitive model; the second is the psychological reality model, i.e. the product of absorbing foreign modernist literary trends and related theories from which, by a perspective of deep psychological analysis or psychological performance on reality, we can see the inner world of character and reflect the influence by social life on people’s fate in a specific era; the third is the image-type typical paradigm, which is the outcome of seeking reference from emotional-expressing, layout designing, image-building, artistic conception, freehand brushwork and other classical traditions, reflecting the transformative application of the above-mentioned classical principles or techniques. These new typical images show that the typical paradigms presented by literature and art are very diversified but contains uncertainties as well.

The third period refers to the typical reconfiguration trend of literature and art since the new era, which is manifested as a typical form that continues to rebuild reality and play a cognitive role with personalized depiction and, at the same time, traces back to classical tradition and giving it a soul-oriented role, that is, the birth of epistemic retrospective. This shows that the typifying tradition of literature and art produces new characteristics and functions on the basis of the original cognitive characteristics and functions, that is, the retrospective characteristics of tradition as well as its traditional function for guidance. The retrospective tradition here means recollecting the spirit or soul of the classical cultural tradition required by contemporary life. The typical appearance of this cognitive retrospective type aims to guide literature and art to both return to the source of contemporary social life (material basis) and the source of classic Chinese traditions (spiritual guidance).

Third, the change of the typical paradigm of literature and art as well as sources for body and soul. Looking back at the 80-year journey of typification of modern Chinese literature and art, we can find that the first outcome is the creation of the mainstream paradigm of cognitive typicality, which obtained diversified manifestation in the early days of the reform and opening up, and then emerged as a new paradigm of cognitive retrospective typicality in a new era. The reason for the change on the typical paradigm of modern literature and art should be closely related to the specific needs of different times. In the Yan’an period, the purpose of literature and art was to serve the people, which means literature and art must be typified so as to help workers, peasants and soldiers to recognize the truth of social life and wake up to change the old world. At that time, the focus was on creating cognitive models that had a cognitive effect on people according to their actual social life. In the early stage of the reform and opening up, under the guidance of the goal of serving the people and socialism on literature and art, the paradigm-seeking of literature and art appeared in the form of cognitive reflection and paradigm diversification, which not only brought richness but also caused uncertainty as well. Entering the new era, according to the new idea of greater spirit for greater undertaking, while continuing the original task of the seeking social truth, the paradigm-seeking of literature and art also needs to undertake the new task of tracing back to traditional sources, so that a new traditional retrospective character is integrated into the existing cognitive typical paradigm.

Over the past 80 years, the Talks has identified the life of ordinary people as the major source of literary and artistic production which, in the early years of the reform and opening up, was further opened, enriched and expanded. On the basis of the above-mentioned sources of life, we need to further discover the foundation, treasure and important source from classical traditions. The life of ordinary people means the fundamental source of social productivity at the bottom of material life, mainly for the flesh and blood of literature and art; while classical cultural traditions can be attributed to the invisible side of life with spiritual pursuit, mainly for the spirit and soul that literature and art may not be able to fully explain.

Over the past 80 years, the typical paradigm of modern Chinese literature and art has undergone several changes, from a typical cognitive one to its diversified expansions, and then to a cognitive-retrospective model. Despite so many changes, literature and art has indeed become a new tradition in contemporary China with a sound basis and a promising future.

Lu Kan

Consultant of China Literature and Art Critics Association

Commemorating and Revisiting the Talks in a Brand New Era

In the development of Chinese literature and art, the Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) is of great significance as a trail-blazing document.

The direction, values and principles of literature and art to serve the people are also what we need to pursue today. Mao Zedong said: “Our concern is that literature and art should serve the people and what we need to explore is how to serve the people.” This means we need to understand the direction, values and principles in a consistent way. Serving the people is the direction for our work while how to serve the people means we need to shoulder our responsibilities through various kinds of artistic forms. Additionally, the Talks has also made vivid explanations on the source of literature and art, its role for the Chinese nation, the relation between popularity and excellence, the balance between learning from others and developing one’s own as well as the relation between motives and outcomes.

Therefore, the fundamental direction of literature and art proposed by the Talks was not abstract at all but implemented into the rich revolutionary and cultural experience of the Chinese nation. Today, literature and art faces a rapidly changing world. The development of media puts literature and art not only on a national scope, but also on the world stage. While the Chinese people now have higher demand, literature and art also constitute a special window for the world to understand China. Chinese literature and art need to show spiritual charm that is generally accepted by more people around the world. Under such a background, it is very important for literature and art to adhere to its people-centered feature, with the goal of “serving the people and socialism” and the “double-hundred” policy (letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend) as its direction, and to accommodate both social values and artistic principles, so that literature and art can better exert its cultural power in such an ever-changing world.

The Talks expresses an expanded and developed thought of people-centered nature in a broader perspective, which is of extremely practical, important and outstanding significance today. In the Talks, Mao said: “We need to observe, experience, study, analyze all people, all classes, all masses, all vivid forms of life and struggles as the original materials of literature and art.” This view on all people and all materials fully embodies the expanded and developed categories of people, life and information in literature and art. It not only includes the development of social existence, but also reflects the development of the perspective by literary and artistic producers. Today, this is still an inclusive political and cultural outlook, with extensive Chinese values, global importance and contemporary influence. In this way, literature and art must faithfully reflect the people, their life and the cultural surrounding. Contemporary literature and art need to serve the broadest scope of audience with increased variety. Literature and art in the new era has become a common path for world exchanges, particularly for better introducing China to the world beyond and finding the common ground in terms of emotion and value while also keeping our own distinctive characters.

The lofty principle of people-centered nature is also reflected in the observation and evaluation based on historical materialism. When talking about the relation between popularity and excellence, Mao Zedong said that ordinary people would have better and better cultural tastes, which means literary and artistic production should also have higher and higher standards. This point is the best example for a progressive vision on the development of literature and art, that is, the increasing needs by the people are the source of power for the improvement of literature and art. Obviously, this conclusion still has great practical significance for today’s literature and art.

Literature and art must actively improve its artistic expression, not only for addressing market requirements, but also for implementing the principle of people-centered nature. A more powerful sentence in the Talks that attaches great importance to the principle of people-centered nature is that all revolutionary writers and artists must consider themselves as faithful spokespersons of the ordinary people, so that their work becomes meaningful. This is a valuable summary on the experience in the history of Chinese literature and art. High-quality literary and artistic works in the Chinese history, either by grand narratives or through ordinary stories, are always those who can stir nationwide resonance and mirror the aspiration of ordinary people. Therefore, “literature and art can be full of vitality only if it echoes with the people and reflects their true concerns.”

Seeking truth from facts is the essence of the Talks. It is also the historical experience of China’s socialist revolution as well as Chinese literature and art. This point still has great ideological and theoretical significance for today’s literature and art. Seeking truth from facts means starting not from rigid dogmas but from objective principles and professional realities. The development and changes of revolutionary literature and art described in the Talks, the relation between popularity and excellence, and the later “double-hundred” policy are all successful practices of this principle.

In the face of social changes in our own journey in the new era, literature and art need to stick to reality, express values in both fundamental and expanded terms, and reflect the harmonious coexistence of Chinese values and that of the whole world. Literary and artistic workers must have the courage to face the challenges in life and view these challenges from a progressive view of human history. Meanwhile, we should also abide by and carry forward key principles such as the coherence between commonality and diversity, between grand narrations and ordinary stories, and between the power of technology and the spirit of human thoughts.

Wang Cizhao

Deputy Director of the Arts Education Committee of the Ministry of Education, consultant of China Musicians Association, and professor of the Central Conservatory of Music

Fundamentals of Music Criticism

-- Some Afterthoughts for Commemorating the Talks

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication for Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks) and also the 8th anniversary of the publication of President Xi Jinping’s Speech at the Symposium on Literature and Art Work. The two speeches have different historical backgrounds: Mao’s Talks was born in the context of the Chinese people’s strenuous struggle against Japanese imperialism with tremendous sacrifice as well as the rectification movement in Yan’an for correcting the problems that appeared in the literary and art circles at that time and for establishing the literary and art policy of the Communist Party of China. Xi’s Speech was born at the historical juncture of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation so as to correct the problems that have arisen in China’s literary and art circles since the reform and opening up, and to establish the literary and art policy of the CPC in the new era. Although these two documents are separated by 72 years of time but reflects similar ideas. Their fundamental starting points and basic principles are highly consistent, while both of them are of great guidance with comprehensive content.

First, about the starting point and theoretical basis of music criticism. Mao pointed out in his the Talks that our literature and art are for the massive body of ordinary people, first and foremost for the workers, peasants and soldiers, while Xi pointed out in his speech that with a people-centered principle, literature and art is to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people as the starting point and ending point. For the people and people-centered are the starting points of music criticism. For one thing, the people constitute the major body of the audience for music activities; for another, music productions should be in line with the demand and taste by the general public. Marxist literary theory is based on dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and is the theoretical basis of music criticism. Music criticism requires both a correct philosophical position and a scientific historical attitude. Marxist literary thoughts have provided us with rich insights in both aspects.

Second, about the standards of music criticism. Mao pointed out in his Talks that there are two kinds of standards for literary and art criticism: the political one and the artistic one. Mao’s political and artistic standards are firmly based on the standpoint of the massive body of ordinary people. Xi put forward four commentary points of historical, popular, artistic and aesthetic at the symposium on literature and art work. Further, at the opening ceremony of the 10th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 9th National Congress of China Writers Association, Xi made it clear that we should take improving the spiritual height, cultural connotation and artistic value of literary and artistic works as our pursuit. Music criticism should also be based on three standards: spiritual height, cultural connotation and artistic value, together with historical, popular, artistic and aesthetic viewpoints.

Third, about the method of music criticism. Three methods of music criticism can be summarized from the study on these two speeches. The first is a dialectical thinking between thought and art, between popularity and excellence, between inheriting tradition and learning from the west as well as between social outcome and economic benefits. The second is a historical perspective. Music criticism must determine the evaluation criteria from a historical perspective, and observe the musical phenomena and activities of different eras with the method of historical materialism. The third is a scientific attitude. Music criticism should follow the laws of music art and carry out evaluation around their particularity. The critics should not use their personal preference but an objective and scientific attitude, to accommodate different music content, different styles of music works and different forms of music performances.

By studying Chairman Mao’s Talks and President Xi’s Speech, we have obtained some preliminary understanding about the starting point and theoretical basis of music criticism as well as its standards, methods and functions. At the end of today’s forum, I want to invite you to revisit the two quotations from Xi’s remarks on literary criticism: literary criticism is a mirror and a good medicine for literary and artistic creation, and it is an important guide for producing high-quality products, improving aesthetic tastes and leading historical trends. It is imperative to strengthen and improve literary theory and commentary work, praise the good and criticize the bad, contain the muddy and promote the clear, so as to effectively guide creation, launch high-quality products, improve aesthetic tastes and lead historical trends.

As a mirror, music criticism should give impartial evaluation on composers and their works, as well as correct guidance for the artistic tastes by the audience. Our music criticism should strive to become the driving force that leads the society and promotes the development of social music culture. We, as music critics will follow the spirit of Xi’s speech to keep in mind the mission, the responsibilities and the original aspiration so as to continue to move forward with the Party and with the people to reach a literary and artistic peak in the era of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Chen Chiyu

Professor at Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University and Executive Editor of Art and Science

Literature and Art | Popular Taste | Historical Trends

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of Mao Zedong’s the Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art

Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (hereinafter referred to as the Talks) is a glorious Marxist document and an important milestone in the history of Chinese literature and art thought in the 20th century. It is also a leading example for combining China’s practical challenges with the power of literary and artistic works. On October 19, 1943, Jiefang Daily published the full text of the Talks. The next day, the Central General Learning Committee issued a notice for all to study this document because this would become a textbook for the localization of Marxism in terms of ideological thinking and theatrical ideas.

The Talks has summarized the achievements by the revolutionary circles of literature and art since May Fourth New Culture Movement 23 years ago, and also the new experience for literary and artistic production in the liberated areas. More importantly, the Talks has answered various key questions such as who literature and art should serve; why literature and art (tributary) comes from the massive body of ordinary people (mainstream); how to balance the popularity and excellence; what’s the relation between literature and art and the revolutionary undertaking by the Party. By answering these key questions for literary and artistic affairs, the Talks thus unveiled the major principle for the development of literature and art in China, as well as the future direction in this regard. As a landmark for the Party’s attitude towards literature and art, the Talks became the guiding star for literature and art.

From July 2 to July 19, 1949, on the eve of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the National Congress of Chinese Literature and Art Workers was held in Beijing to summarize the achievements of literature and art in the liberated areas and that in the Kuomintang-controlled areas, especially the ones in the Anti-Japanese democratic bases and the liberated areas after the Talks was published. The conference put forward the goal of making literature and art for the people in the new country to be established soon. In the opening speech of the conference, Guo Moruo praised the Talks as true, universal and appropriate, which must be the guiding principle for literary and artistic movement in the future. Therefore, the Talks became the general policy and the guiding idea for literature and art for the People’s Republic of China.

Since its publication 80 years ago, the Talks has instructed the literature and art of the liberated areas, influenced that of the Kuomintang-controlled areas, and guided this part of undertaking in the new China, illuminating a new voyage of modern Chinese literature and art. Since the 1940s, the new development and new achievements of Chinese literature and art are closely related to the spirit of from the Talks.

The important content and also the core idea of the Talks is that literature and art should serve the massive body of ordinary workers, peasants and soldiers, also produce popular works that meet the cultural demand of the people. Literature and art workers were encouraged to in person experience the life of ordinary people for a long time and on an unconditional basis, so as to express the dynamic life and difficult struggle by the people. The Talks regarded the life of ordinary people as the only source for artistic and literary inspirations.

In April 1938, Mao Zedong made a speech at the Yan’an Lu Xun Academy of Art, in which he proposed that literary and artistic workers should go into the massive body of ordinary people for creating new styles of literature and art that meet the requirements of the times and serve the demand by the public. Mao deemed that literature and art should be well-accepted by ordinary people, that literature and art should serve the people and that literature and art should reflect the life of the people, which is a huge milestone in the history of China’s literary and artistic theories. For more than 2000 years of China’s ancient history, literature and art served the royal family, the noble class and the religious groups, but the Talks proposed that literature and art should not serve those mentioned above but the ordinary people. This is definitely the starting point of China’s literature and art in the modern time, guiding Chinese literature and art to express the revolutionary struggle of the people, the cause of socialist building and the life of ordinary workers, famers and citizens in the new era. For 80 years, literature, drama, music, film and other artistic forms have made brilliant achievements under the guidance of the Talks.

Literature and art being popular among the vast body of ordinary people is the inevitable requirements for the Communists with a materialist view of history. This is also the original aspiration of the Communists to seek benefits for the people, By referring to the popular literature of the May Fourth New Culture Movement, that of the liberated areas and the KMT-controlled areas, the Talks creatively proposed an epoch-making idea of the popularization of art with a brand-new content centered on the masses of workers and peasants. Meanwhile, key ideas in the Talks also echo with Mao’s major views explained in his On New Democracy published in January 1940 about the new democratic culture being national, scientific and popular.

In 2014, President Xi Jinping’s speech at the Symposium on Literary and Art Work inherited and developed Mao’s literary and artistic thought, and proposed that literary and art workers must adhere to the people-centered philosophy. The Speech pointed out the direction for the development of Chinese literature and art in the new era, so we need go to deep into both Mao’s Talks and Xi’s Speech for their insightful views on literary and artistic undertakings. Moreover, we should also pay close attention to Xi’s remarks during his visit to the Tsinghua University on its 110th anniversary, in which he expressed his hope for literature and art to better serve urban and rural construction. In all, people in the circles need to produce fine and exquisite artistic works that reflect what the ordinary people have done in the making of a strong, socialist and prosperous country and in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Ding Guoqi

Party Committee Secretary, Deputy Director and research fellow of the Institute of Ethnic Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Who Should Literature and Art Serve: Insights for this Moment

Whom should literature and art work for is the first point in the concluding section of Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks). This year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication for the Talks so we should revisit and examine this question with important theoretical value and historical significance, so as to better inherit its theoretical heritage and to identify the basic direction for the development of China’s literature and art in the new era. Moreover, this can also provide a precise positioning for literature and art to better practice the people-centered principle for producing more masterpieces.

In the Talks, Mao concluded that the literary and art focuses in the Yan’an period were basically for the people and how to serve the people based on the actual situation in Yan’an and the surrounding revolutionary bases. Among these two points, Mao believed that for the people is even the more important one that needs to be addressed. In his view, the literature and art of the proletariat are ultimately for the masses of the people including workers, peasants, soldiers and the urban petty bourgeoisie.

This has become one of the most important achievements of the Talks. It is also a new version to interpret, to develop, to improve the idea for the people from classical Marxist theories under distinctive circumstances with Chinese characteristics.

However, this answer was not put into practice, at least in Mao’s view, because he thought some comrades did not really established a spiritual connection with the people and did not really known their views and ideas. In his observation, no one would ignore the proletarians, including workers, peasants and soldiers, in theory and in language but there did exist some people who did not meet the standard or stand to the test in practice and in action.

We can see from Mao’s analysis on relevant issues: it is very important to stand on a proletarian standpoint instead of a bourgeoisie standpoint, to look at reality and action instead of at theory and language, and to be heart-to-heart with the massive body of ordinary people. These are the keys to judging whether for the people is really implemented or not in the field of literature and art.

Mao also put forward a specific method to guarantee this point: our literary and art workers must complete this task, must shift their foothold, must go deep into the massive body of workers, peasants and soldiers, and must go deep into the actual revolutionary struggles. Literature and art should, through a process of learning Marxism and learning from ordinary people, gradually move to the side of the workers, peasants and soldiers i.e. to move to the side of the proletarians. In the Talks, Mao Zedong expressed his determination for addressing this problem through three musts; as well as his feasible and constructive solutions through two deeps and two learnings.

The two deeps were mainly to solve the problem that literary and art workers were not familiar with, echo with or sympathize with the massive body of workers, peasants and soldiers as well as the practical revolutionary struggle, while the two learnings were mainly to solve the problem that literary and art workers did not know, understand or use the basics of Marxist theories. Through these two aspects, writers and artists improved their comprehension and understanding of the life of ordinary people, and strengthened their theoretical capacity on Marxism to identify and recognize various wrong tendencies or erroneous ideas.

Although Mao proposed specific methods and approaches to solve the first problem, the second issue of whom should literature and art serve has not been fully solved due to the existence of various erroneous ideological trends, wrong tendencies and incorrect concepts in the literary and art circles with extremely complex backgrounds and reasons. Besides, the establishment and improvement of proletarian literature and art or, say, contemporary literature and art, are extremely complicated, so the second issue of whom should literature and art serve requires long-term effort and continued exploration. Therefore, we should be prepared for fighting a protracted war against existing problems from the past and possible challenges in the future.

Only in this way can we guarantee the prosperous development of proletarian or socialist literature and art. Even if those erroneous thoughts, concepts and tendencies cannot be completely eradicated, at least they can be discovered and identified in literary and artistic practice. While we destroy the environment in which they are generated, we can then prevent them from raging and spreading, if not from existing. This is the biggest enlightenment given to us by the Talks on the question of who should literature and art serve.

Fan Yugang

 Professor at the Department of Literature and History in the Party School of the CPC Central Committee and distinguished professor at Shandong University

How to Commemorate the Talks in a New Historical Context

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication for Comrade Mao Zedong’s Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art (the Talks). 80 years has passed, and how should we commemorate the Talks under a new historical context?

As a historical document that never gets old, the Talks has a profound impact on the development of literature and art in modern China, making it an unparalleled masterpiece for this field. Moreover, it also has global influence that is unmatchable by any other theoretical works in Chinese. In my opinion, the best way to commemorate the Talks is to fully explore its encouraging spirit for us, to renew its content in the new era, to enrich it with profound cultural power, to always hold high the people-centered nature of literature and art, to firmly adhere to Chinese characteristics, to abide by the development of socialist literature and art, to produce more and more literary and artistic masterpieces for even higher grounds, to empower the people with mental strength, to promote the common progress of people’s spiritual world, and to strengthen the prosperity and development of socialist literature and art.

First of all, the Talks answered the very question on China’s own Literature and Art as the starting point in terms of logic and the ending point for the realization of value. To be specific, the biggest challenge faced by the Chinese nation at that point is the People’s War of Resistance against the Japanese Invaders while the literary and artistic circles can do their share for this cause. The opening statement of the Talks says: “Today I invite all of you to hold this forum, the purpose of which is to exchange opinions with you, to study the relation between literary and artistic affairs and the general revolutionary undertaking, to find the correct development path of revolutionary literature and art, and to obtain the improvement of revolutionary literature and art on other revolutionary affairs, so as to beat our enemy and achieve the liberation of our nation.”

Historically speaking, the localization of Marxist theory on literature and art in China was based on the particular function by literary and artistic works for China’s revolution. Undoubtedly, the result of such localization was not a dogmatic copy of Marxist theory on literature and art, but one with a Chinese style and Chinese discourse in the context of China’s revolution. This is the very reason for its ever-renewing significance: that the building of the theoretical system of Chinese literature and art in the new era must be based on China’s own concerns and own realities, so that such localization can be continued in a new era. With great self-confidence in our own culture, we can use localized Marxist theories on literature and art to interpret the historical progress in this regard and the development of popular aesthetic views. Moreover, China can therefore present its own theories on literature and art to the whole world that is both featured by Chinese characteristics and adaptive with some universally compatible principles. As we come into a new era, we still need to identify who we serve and how to keep connected with the people. In addition, it is also essential to stay committed to the principle of holding high the people-centered nature of literature and art and advancing socialism on the international stage.

Secondly, the Talks has summarized a set of strongly result-oriented principles in the context of the Yan’an Rectification Movement. Technically speaking, the Forum on Literature and Art was part of the Rectification Movement, while the Talks was one of the most important documents of this movement. Therefore, the gist of the Talks must reflect the key idea the Rectification Movement: to foster and enhance proletariat thoughts among the people and unite all forces to resist foreign aggression. Mao pointed out that the purpose of this movement was to fundamentally pin down the guiding ideology within the Party, that is, should everything proceed from reality based on specific circumstances, or should things be done with subjective decisions or taking certain classical theories for granted?

If this question is not correctly answered, there will be no ideological and political unity within the Party. How can we win the war in one heart and one mind? The rectification from three aspects is a struggle between a proletarian ideology and bourgeois ideologies. All Party cadres and Party members must study it and examine their own non-proletarian ideologies. The Talks proposes that the fundamental concern of literature and art is the combination of this undertaking with the massive body of ordinary people, and the way in which literature and art can serve the people on a massive scale. Therefore, the Talks calls writers and artists to strengthen proletariat ideologies, which is reasonably determined by the situation of the times and the revolutionary tasks at that moment.

As long as writers and artists can change their spiritual mentalities and political stances, they can foster proletarian ideologies by keeping close with the people. Meanwhile, they could also enable the general public to achieve spiritual unity by enhancing their class identity. The vast number of literature and art workers swept away the bad atmosphere that divorced from reality and the masses, and then went deep into the massive body of ordinary people of the revolutionary bases in the enemy-occupied area. Driven by the revolutionary spirits in Yan’an, the literary and artistic undertaking in the revolutionary bases and China gained new momentum and, through a long period of struggle and practice, produced a great number of literary and artistic works that were welcomed by workers, peasants and soldiers.

Today, the Talks still gives us a lot of inspiration for finding the focus on the development of Chinese literature and art. It is an important source of ideologies and theories on respecting the laws of literary and artistic development and building a theoretical system of literature and art in the new era. Therefore, we need to fully understand and boldly carry forward the insightful ideas from this document.

(Editor: Bao Mengxuan)