Wu Yin: From Yan'an to Xibaipo: An Important Exploration of Establishing a Correct Outlook on Political Performance by Chinese Communists
From the Yan'an period to the Xibaipo period was a key stage in which the Communist Party of China (CPC) led the Chinese revolution from local victories to national victory. Under the special historical conditions of extreme material scarcity, an exceptionally harsh environment, and an extraordinarily severe struggle, our Party tempered and upheld a correct outlook on performance [1]. We consistently maintained a firm standing with the people, strictly adhered to our original aspiration for the people, preserved our political character of being clean and honest, and upheld the fine style of arduous struggle. These efforts laid a solid foundation for winning the final victory of the New Democratic Revolution and embarking on the great journey of building New China.
I
The Yan'an period coincided with the years of flame and war. It was fraught with difficulties to sustain the military and civilians of the Border Region [2] on the extremely barren Loess Plateau and to win the support of the masses. It was precisely under this extreme pressure that Chinese Communists persisted in "seeing only public servants and no officials," forging a correct outlook on performance—characterized by arduous struggle, integrity in public office, and a people-centered approach—into a firm political faith. Mao Zedong explicitly proposed: "Under conditions where there is no war in the Border Region, the direct tasks consist of two items: production and education." This policy reflected the Communists' attitude of seeking truth from facts: eschewing empty boasting and superficiality, acting according to one's capabilities, and engaging in arduous struggle. Mao Zedong dug the earth and planted vegetables at Yangjialing together with the masses; his food standards were the same as those of ordinary staff, and he often lacked money to buy vegetables by the end of the month. Zhu De formed a production team with his bodyguards to reclaim more than three mu [3] of land at Wangjiaping to grow vegetables. This led the visiting American journalist Edgar Snow to exclaim sincerely: "from the highest commander to the ordinary soldier, they eat and wear the same thing" (Red Star Over China, People's Literature Publishing House, 2016 edition, p. 267). In May 1940, Tan Kah Kee visited Yan'an at Mao Zedong's invitation. He conducted a field investigation of the social conditions, political atmosphere, and the lives of the military and civilians in Yan'an, deeply feeling the excellent atmosphere of equality between the military and civilians, simple living, and arduous struggle. Shortly before this, he had witnessed the luxury and corruption of the Kuomintang (KMT) government in Chongqing, which allowed him to see the essential difference between the KMT and the CPC, thereby concluding that "China's hope lies in Yan'an." After visiting Yan'an in 1945, Huang Yanpei similarly felt the precious spirit of the Chinese Communists: "It is a constant drive for excellence, a constant demand for progress; when this spirit is fully exerted, the prospects for hope are limitless" (Li Zhongjie, A General History of the Communist Party of China, Vol. 1, CPC Central Party School Press, 2021 edition, p. 142).
In summarizing the fresh political ecosystem of the "Ten Nos" during the Yan'an period, Mao Zedong explicitly pointed out: In Yan'an, "first, there are no corrupt officials; second, no oppressive gentry... seventh, no cliques for private gain; eighth, no atmosphere of lethargy; ninth, no one living off friction; and tenth, no one profiting from national disaster" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 2, People's Publishing House, 1991 edition, p. 718). This image of clean politics is a vivid portrayal of the Communists' integrity and devotion to the public interest. During the Yan'an period, the Border Region government implemented a minimum allowance system: while a KMT county magistrate received a monthly salary of 180 yuan, a Border Region county magistrate received a monthly allowance of only 2.5 yuan, and even the Chairman of the Border Region Government’s monthly allowance did not exceed five yuan. As Mao Zedong marveled: "Who can manage with only five yuan a month in salary? Who can create such clean politics?" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 2, p. 718). This reflects the profound political consciousness of Chinese Communists: Party members and cadres who hold power must deeply understand the principle that "he who receives what is great must not take what is small" [4]. They must not only understand the importance of integrity cognitively but also "pull up the mallows and discard the weaving" in action [5]. Among these instances, the Xiao Yubi case further demonstrated the Border Region government's determination to govern with an iron fist against corruption. Xiao Yubi was a combat hero who joined the Red Army in 1933; he was sentenced to death by the Border Region High Court in accordance with the law for embezzling 3,050 yuan of public funds during his tenure. Yan'an's Jiefang Ribao (Liberation Daily) commented: "On the ground of 'clean politics,' not a single 'Xiao Yubi'-style weed is allowed to grow! If there is one, pull it out!" The solemn handling of this case confirmed the Border Region government's consciousness regarding the closed-loop governance of "trust-supervision-punishment": regardless of seniority or merit, anyone who touches the red line of integrity must be severely punished by law. It was precisely this style of integrity and public service that forged the clean and upright political ecosystem of Yan'an.
In September 1944, Zhang Side, a soldier in the Central Guard Regiment, died tragically at the age of 29 due to the collapse of a charcoal kiln in Shixiayu, Ansai. At the memorial service, Mao Zedong delivered the famous speech "Serve the People": "Our Communist Party and the Eighth Route and New Fourth Armies the Party leads are revolutionary armies. These battalions of ours are wholly dedicated to the liberation of the people and work entirely in the people's interests" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 3, p. 1004). This fully demonstrates the weight of the word "people" in the hearts of Chinese Communists and is a solemn declaration of their outlook on performance. In 1945, the Seventh National Congress of the CPC formally wrote "serving the people whole-heartedly" into the Party Constitution, establishing it as the fundamental purpose of the Party. During the Yan'an period, serving the people whole-heartedly was not just a slogan but was implemented through a series of institutional practices. The ideological and working methods of investigation and research were effectively promoted. Within the ideological field, a new atmosphere began to be established. A scientific spirit of seeking truth from facts through investigation and research was gradually cultivated. The Party implemented "three-thirds system" [6] democratic politics and simultaneously carried out systematic propaganda and implementation around the policies of "better troops and simpler administration," the cooperative movement, rent and interest reduction, and the Great Production Movement, successfully forging the value concept of the CPC serving the people. Through actual changes, the masses of the Border Region personally felt the reduction of their burdens and the increased efficiency of government affairs, forming a deep identification with the CPC's people-centered political stance, further strengthening their support for and endorsement of the Party.
II
In May 1948, the CPC Central Committee moved to Xibaipo, which became the "last rural command post" for the liberation of all China. In this small mountain village, the Party Central Committee commanded the three major campaigns—Liaoshen, Huaihai, and Pingjin—and convened the historically significant Second Plenary Session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee. During the Xibaipo period, against the backdrop of approaching national victory, Chinese Communists further honed and forged a correct outlook on performance.
During the Xibaipo period, our Party convened the National Land Conference and promulgated the Outline Land Law of China, elevating the land issue—the issue of greatest concern to the masses—to a strategic level and conducting a vigorous land reform movement in the Liberated Areas. Land reform directly unified the Party's strategic goals with the peasants' most urgent interest demands, ensuring that peasants were no longer bystanders or passive participants in the revolution, but became conscious subjects and firm supporters of the revolution. The effects of the land reform were immediate: within less than a year of its commencement in the Liberated Areas, 160 million people—approximately 37% of the national population at the time—had received land. The emancipated peasants erupted with immeasurable revolutionary enthusiasm. According to statistics, during the three major campaigns, the cumulative mobilization of civilian laborers reached over 8.8 million person-times, and the masses dispatched 1.41 million vehicles of various sizes to support the front. This fully confirmed Mao Zedong's thesis that "the richest source of power to wage war lies in the masses of the people" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 2, p. 511). Land reform not only realized the thousand-year dream of "land to the tiller" but also fundamentally changed the balance of class forces in the Liberated Areas, tightly integrating land, labor, military force, and political power, providing a continuous stream of material and human support for the victory of the War of Liberation. In March 1949, the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee was held in Xibaipo. Faced with the imminent national victory, Mao Zedong issued a call to the whole Party: "The comrades must be taught to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work. The comrades must be taught to preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 4, pp. 1438–1439). This contains a profound drawing of lessons from the patterns of thousands of years of Chinese history, a profound summary of the CPC's arduous journey of struggle, a profound understanding of the CPC's adherence to the fundamental purpose of serving the people whole-heartedly, and it stems from a thorough understanding of the essence of the Communist outlook on performance. As Mao Zedong pointed out: "To win countrywide victory is only the first step in a long march of ten thousand li... The Chinese revolution is great, but the road after the revolution will be longer, the work greater and more arduous" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 4, p. 1438).
In March 1949, the organs of the CPC Central Committee left Xibaipo and set out for Peiping [7]. Before departing, Mao Zedong said to Zhou Enlai: "Today is the day to enter the capital for the 'examination.' We must achieve good results." Zhou Enlai laughed and said: "We should all be able to pass; we must not retreat." Mao Zedong said firmly: "To retreat is to fail. We will never be Li Zicheng! We all hope to achieve a good grade" (Chronological Biography of Mao Zedong (1893–1949), Vol. 3, Central Party Literature Press, 2013 edition, p. 470). As early as the Yan'an Rectification Movement, Mao Zedong had instructed that Guo Moruo's Commemorating the 300th Anniversary of the Jiashen Year [8] be used as an important document for rectification study. At a meeting of senior cadres in Yan'an, he said: "Recently we printed Guo Moruo's article on Li Zicheng to serve as a cautionary tale for comrades, so that they do not repeat the mistake of becoming arrogant in times of victory" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 3, p. 948). Mao Zedong's repeated warnings to the whole Party reflected precisely the Communists' high degree of sobriety and consciousness on the issue of performance—the more victories are achieved in succession, the more one must remain clear-headed. The greatest performance is to never detach from the masses and to always maintain the character of arduous struggle.
During the Xibaipo period, with the significant enhancement of the Party's economic, political, and military strength, it was fully possible to improve office conditions and living standards. However, the Chinese Communists consciously upheld the political character of arduous struggle and self-reliance, maintaining a style of modesty, prudence, and thrift in the face of improved material conditions. The residences and offices of leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De were extremely simple. Mao Zedong used a wooden bed and old desks and chairs as his daily furniture. Zhu De's double bed was assembled merely from benches and wooden planks. Zhou Enlai insisted on repairing broken tea mugs rather than easily replacing them with new ones. These actions demonstrated the conscious awareness of a proletarian party to maintain a clear head in the face of victory and to uphold spiritual character amidst growing material abundance. They are a vivid portrayal of the Party's advanced nature and purity in the construction of its work style.
From the Yan'an period to the Xibaipo period, the Chinese Communists' outlook on performance was not static but was a process of continuous inheritance and development, adapting to different historical tasks and stages. During the Yan'an period, when the Party was in the environment of a revolutionary base area with local governance, revolution and war were the overriding central tasks. The Party's outlook on performance was primarily manifested in creating "visible material benefits" for the masses of the base area under the pressure of military struggle and survival. By the Xibaipo period, the Party began to move from local governance to national governance. At the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee, Mao Zedong explicitly stated: "From the very first day we take over a city, our eyes must be fixed on the restoration and development of its production" (Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Vol. 4, p. 1428). From "organizing the masses" in the Yan'an period to "restoring production" in the Xibaipo period, and from performance in military struggle to performance in economic construction, the Chinese Communists' outlook on performance has always revolved around the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people. This inheritance within development and steadfastness amidst change reflects precisely the internal logic and historical dialectics of the Chinese Communists' outlook on performance.
Looking at the historical process from Yan'an to Xibaipo, the trajectory of Chinese Communists tempering and upholding a correct outlook on performance is not only a transition of geographic space but also the logical unfolding of a continuously deepening outlook on performance. It provides historical experience for establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance in the New Era.