Lin Jingwei: From the Victory of the Yan'an Style over the Xi'an Style [1]
Yan’an and Xi’an—two ancient cities separated by only about 300 kilometers—revealed the secret of how Communists seize political power through a profound contest of "work style" [1] during the 1930s and 40s: winning the hearts of the people and winning the world through an excellent work style. General Secretary Xi Jinping once offered a profound exposition: "There are many reasons why our Party was able to achieve victory in the New Democratic Revolution and lead the people in establishing the New China. One crucial reason is that our Party always maintained a flesh-and-blood connection with the masses, ultimately 'defeating the Xi’an style with the Yan’an style.'" As the entire Party conducts study and education on the deep implementation of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations, it is of great significance to look back at the arduous years when our Party used the Yan’an style to defeat the Xi’an style. This allows us to inherit glorious traditions and embark on the "new journey of matriculation" [2] with an excellent work style.
What is the Yan’an Style?
Speaking of the Yan’an style, we must begin with a historical anecdote. In the autumn of 1940, Comrade Mao Zedong went to the Yan’an Institute of Marxism-Leninism to give a report. On the way, he encountered four people who had come to welcome him. He immediately criticized them: "Four people to welcome one person for a report—this won't do! It won't do! We are Communists; we speak of revolution. Since we want revolution and want to break with the old system, we must never be tainted by bureaucratic habits. From Yangjialing to the Institute is only eight or ten li; we walked the 25,000-li Long March, so these few steps are nothing. We must cultivate a new atmosphere: the Yan’an style. We shall use the Yan’an style to defeat the Xi’an style!"
These seemingly casual remarks by Comrade Mao Zedong were both a great political declaration and a precise historical prophecy, creating a historical resonance across time and space on the Loess Plateau.
The Yan’an style refers to the unique revolutionary spiritual outlook formed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the Yan’an period. It was nurtured in the soil of the CPC’s long-term revolutionary struggle and represented the inheritance and development of a series of fine traditions and styles from the Jinggangshan period, the Central Soviet Area, and the Long March. It was further sublimated during the Yan’an Rectification Movement [3]. Regarding the new atmosphere of the Yan’an style, Comrade Mao Zedong once summarized it with the "Ten Absences": "First, no corrupt officials; second, no local tyrants or evil gentry; third, no gambling; fourth, no prostitution; fifth, no concubines; sixth, no beggars; seventh, no factions formed for private gain; eighth, no atmosphere of dejection; ninth, no one 'eating the friction meal' [4]; and tenth, no one profiting from national disasters." This outlined a vivid picture of upright cadres, clean politics, superiors and subordinates sharing joys and sorrows, and harmonious relations between the Party and the masses, and between cadres and the masses.
In sharp contrast to the Yan’an style was the "Xi’an style," which symbolized the work style of the Kuomintang (KMT). After betraying the revolution, the KMT degenerated politically and became corrupt in its style. The trends of laziness, the selling of official posts, the violation of laws and discipline, and the oppression of the common people grew increasingly severe. The KMT ruling clique tried to wrap the decadent core of its bureaucracy in the cloak of "propriety, justice, honesty, and honor," but they could not stop the erosion caused by the greed of high-ranking civil and military officials who "earned thousands of gold pieces a day." After the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression entered the stage of strategic stalemate, many officials made huge fortunes from the national disaster. Contemporaries criticized them: "At the front, things are dire, with troops lost and territory surrendered; in the rear, they eat greedily, living as if in a drunken dream." After the victory of the war, KMT officials plundered the people’s wealth. The "reclaiming" (jieshou) of territory became "plundering" (jieshou), which the public mocked as "the Five Sons Climbing the Chairs" [5]—grabbing gold, swapping cars, seizing women, occupying houses, and demanding banknotes.
In 1940, the famous patriotic overseas Chinese leader Tan Kah Kee (Chen Jiageng) led a delegation back to China for an inspection and comfort mission. In the KMT-controlled areas, he witnessed dignitaries feasting and carousing, government officials mired in corruption, and restaurants and teahouses crowded with guests where "men wore long gowns and mandarin jackets, preserving the dress code of the Qing Dynasty, while women had ruby-red lips and wore qipaos, high heels, and red nail polish." During his 60-plus days in Chongqing, Tan’s group was "invited to banquets every day," often costing "over a hundred yuan per table," which made him feel it was "quite unsuitable for the difficult times of the War of Resistance." In disappointment, Tan came to Yan’an for inspection. Comrade Mao Zedong treated this distinguished guest to a dinner of cabbage, salted rice, and a pot of chicken soup. Although the dinner was quite "shabby," Tan saw the bright future of a great political party within it. Comparing the two, Tan concluded: "The hope of China lies in Yan’an."
During the Yan’an period, Comrade Mao Zedong and other revolutionaries of the older generation lived in cave dwellings, ate coarse grains, and wore cloth clothes, defeating the "Xi’an style" with the "Yan’an style." (Photo: Comrade Mao Zedong inquiring about the production and living conditions of farmers in Yangjialing, Yan’an. Provided by Xinhua News Agency.)
American journalist Edgar Snow was deeply moved by the Yan’an style, asserting that this army possessed an "Oriental magic" [6] capable of defeating any opponent and declaring it the "light of national rejuvenation." It is from Mao Zedong living in a cave, Zhou Enlai sleeping on a kang (heated brick bed), Peng Dehuai making a vest out of a captured parachute, and Lin Boqu wearing glasses with a broken leg tied to his ear with string that Snow saw an invincible spirit and power. American journalist Theodore White once described the difference between the two parties: "Compared to the Kuomintang, the Communist Party is radiant. Where the Kuomintang is corrupt, it remains clean. Where the Kuomintang is ignorant, it is wise. Where the Kuomintang oppresses the people, it brings relief."
The difference between the Yan’an style and the Xi’an style is reflected in the sharp contrast between "sharing salt when there is some, and sharing tastelessness when there is none" versus "dire straits at the front, greedy feasting in the rear"; between the "Ten Absences" and "the Five Sons"; between "a pot of chicken soup" and "a hundred-yuan banquet"... This series of sharp contrasts serves as a vivid footnote to why the CPC won power and why the KMT lost its rule on the mainland.
Why Did the Yan’an Style Prevail?
Our Party won victory by relying on two types of power: first, the powerful force of truth; second, the powerful force of character. The force of truth is centrally embodied in our Party’s correct theories; the force of character is centrally embodied in our Party’s excellent work style. The Yan’an style centrally carries our Party’s original aspiration and founding mission, as well as its nature and purpose. It profoundly manifests the Party’s political character and the force of its personality, winning the hearts of the masses far and wide.
The Yan’an style was able to defeat the Xi’an style because its foundation was the belief that "revolutionary ideals soar higher than the heavens." Our Party takes Marxism as its foundation for building the Party, the realization of Communism as its highest ideal, and wholehearted service to the people as its fundamental purpose. Firm ideals and beliefs provided Communists with incomparably powerful strength and forged their unique spiritual fortitude—the willingness to sacrifice everything, even their lives, for the country, the nation, and the people. "For over ten years, I have truly not had a single penny, and it will be the same in the future," "I only have two mothers at home, both those who raised me," "Due to a bad harvest, there is a lack of food this year." This was written in 1937 by Zhu De, Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army, to his friend Dai Yuling, asking to borrow 200 yuan to help his two mothers in his Sichuan hometown who were starving. "The money I manage is for the war budget; it cannot be touched!" These were the words of Wang Rongqing, a treasury director in the Hebei-Henan Anti-Japanese Base Area, to his brother in the face of their starving mother. A Commander-in-Chief of the Eighth Route Army had to borrow 200 yuan from a friend to help his mother, and a treasury director watched his own mother starve rather than touch the war funds. This integrity and loyalty of Communists, for whom "revolutionary ideals soar higher than the heavens," won the support of the people and the choice of history with powerful attraction and centripetal force. These revolutionary ideals acted like a magnet, attracting passionate youth from all directions, making them say: "Even if my bones are broken, they are still connected by tendons; even if my skin is stripped, my heart remains; as long as I have one breath left, I will crawl to Yan’an."
The Yan’an style could defeat the Xi’an style because its confidence lay in the flesh-and-blood connection between the Party and the masses. During the Yan’an period, the Party and the people were as inseparable as fish and water, sharing life and death. From Party leaders to ordinary cadres, everyone "sat firmly on the side of the common people." "Why doesn't the God of Thunder strike Mao Zedong dead?" [7] When Comrade Mao Zedong heard this, he did not investigate who said it, but instead reflected on why a farmer would say such a thing. Upon learning that the grain requisition policy of the Border Region Government had placed too heavy a burden on farmers, our Party launched the Great Production Movement, turning Nanniwan into the "Jiangnan of Northern Shaanxi" [8]. "The last mouthful of grain is used for army rations; the last piece of cloth is used for uniforms; the last son is sent to the front." This folk song of the era, along with the forest of stretchers and the stream of wheelbarrows, witnessed the true meaning of the flesh-and-blood connection between the Party, the people's army, and the masses. American diplomat John S. Service wrote: "The Communist government and army are the first in modern Chinese history to receive the active and widespread support of the masses. They received this support because this government and army belong, in name and in fact, to the people."
The Yan’an style could defeat the Xi’an style by relying on self-reliance and arduous struggle. During the Yan’an period, due to the frantic attacks of the Japanese invaders on the battlefields behind enemy lines, the military encirclement and economic blockade by the KMT, and severe natural disasters, the Party and the people’s army once faced unprecedented survival pressure. Faced with the choice of disbanding, starving, or being self-reliant, the Party, government, army, and people "used their own hands to provide ample food and clothing." Cadres and the masses shared joys and sorrows, creating a "miracle never before seen in Chinese history" through the unity of the military and the people. Comrade Mao Zedong said: "We rely entirely on self-reliance to remain invincible, which is the exact opposite of Chiang Kai-shek, who relies entirely on foreign aid. We practice arduous struggle and take into account both the military and the people, which is the exact opposite of the corruption at the top and the destitution at the bottom in Chiang Kai-shek’s areas. Under such circumstances, we are certain to win."
Work style is linked to the hearts of the people and determines the life and death of a party and a regime. At the end of 1947, Comrade Mao Zedong made the major strategic judgment that "The Chinese people's revolutionary war has now reached a turning point." One important basis for this was that the support of the people for the CPC versus the KMT had reached a watershed. Because of the KMT government’s actions after the victory of the War of Resistance, public grievances seethed, and people in KMT-controlled areas completely lost confidence in KMT rule. Even those who were previously "middle-of-the-roaders" stood on the opposite side of KMT rule. "The trend of the people’s hearts in the KMT areas has changed; Chiang Kai-shek is isolated, and the broad masses have stood on our side." "Chiang Kai-shek is gradually losing the people’s hearts, while we are gradually winning them." He who wins the people’s hearts wins the world; he who loses them loses the world. The historical process of the Yan’an style defeating the Xi’an style profoundly confirms this eternal truth.
How to Pass the Yan’an Style from Generation to Generation?
The glorious practice of our Party using the Yan’an style to defeat the Xi’an style has been enshrined in history. However, how to pass down the Party's fine traditions and work style, represented by the Yan’an style, from generation to generation is a historical task we must continuously answer.
It is necessary to mention a small historical episode here. In 1944, the United States Army Observer Group (the Dixie Mission) conducted a field inspection in Yan’an for more than a year. They saw with their own eyes that the Communist army lived a simple life, that officers and soldiers were equal, and that they worked with great enthusiasm—it was "completely another world" compared to Chongqing. The Observer Group once highly praised the Yan’an style under CPC rule to Soong Mei-ling (Madame Chiang Kai-shek). Upon hearing this, she said that it was only because the CPC had not yet truly "tasted the flavor of power." Undoubtedly, these words were full of arrogance and prejudice, but they also alert us from another perspective: changes in the Party's status will affect the Party's work style. Especially when in a governing position and in control of governing resources, whether our Party can maintain its fine style from beginning to end constitutes a direct and realistic test. Only by successfully enduring this test can we break the "curse of the historical cycle" [9] and avoid tragedies like "The Hegemon King Bids Farewell to His Lady" (Bawang Bie Ji) [10].
(Following the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Chinese Communists have inherited and developed the Party's fine traditions. Photo: In July 2025, cadres in Guizhou are shown leading flood relief efforts, maintaining the flesh-and-blood connection with the masses. Photo by Yang Wukui/Xinhua.)
"There is none that does not have a beginning, but few are able to have an end" [11]. It is precisely based on a profound sense of "worry and hardship" regarding the danger that the Party and the regime might change their nature and the "Red State" might change its color that our Party has made unremitting efforts to develop an excellent work style and strengthen the development of work style. Especially since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core began by formulating and implementing the central Eight-Point Regulations. With the force of thunder, it has cleansed the accumulated malpractices of work style, halted many "evil winds" previously thought unstoppable, removed chronic ailments that had been difficult to cure for years, and solved many prominent problems that the masses felt strongly about. The century-old Party has radiated new vitality through "revolutionary forging." Starting with work style to promote the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party has become an important experience of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. Reviewing the Party’s journey through trials and tribulations since the Yan’an period, from the Yan’an Rectification Movement to the series of concentrated internal Party education programs in the New Era, from "wholeheartedly serving the people" to "I will work for the people’s well-being and disregard my own personal gains" [12], from the "Cave Dwelling Question" [13] to the "new journey of matriculation," the Yan’an style has continuously developed through inheritance and acquired new connotations of the times in the Party's practice of strengthening itself.
Work style construction is always an ongoing task. Although the environment and conditions we find ourselves in today have undergone earth-shaking changes compared to the Yan’an period, the Yan’an style is not outdated and will never be outdated. The series of spiritual cores contained in the Yan’an style—including unswerving ideals and beliefs, the strong Party spirit of being selfless for the public, the fish-and-water relationship between the Party and the masses, the good fashion of arduous struggle, the exemplary role of leading by example, and the moral integrity of being clean and honest in public office—will always be the heirlooms of Chinese Communists. On the new journey, facing the arduous and heavy tasks of Chinese-path modernization and an extremely complex governing environment, we should follow the requirements of the Party Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping. We must take the opportunity of conducting study and education on the deep implementation of the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations to further inherit and promote the Party’s fine traditions and work style. We must promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction, so as to move step by step toward a political environment of "eradicating all evils and clarifying the winds" [14] and a society of peace and prosperity through persisting over the long term.
History will continue to prove that a century-old Party that defeated the "Xi’an style" with the "Yan’an style" and created glorious historical achievements, and that continuously inherits and promotes the Yan’an style under new historical conditions—always breathing the same air, sharing the same fate, and having its heart linked with the people—will surely create even more glorious historical achievements!
(The author is an Associate Researcher at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee) Source: Qiushi, 2025, No. 14