Li Shenming: The Fundamental Principles and Origins Pursued by Mao Zedong Throughout His Life
From his youth, Mao Zedong sought to explore the "fundamental source" [1] of the world; this remained his lifelong endeavor. On August 23, 1917, in a letter to Li Jinxi, he proposed "rallying under the banner of the fundamental source," suggesting that by reforming and popularizing philosophy and ethics to transform the nation's thought, one could find the essential path to saving the country and its people. In November 1920, Mao stated further: "I do not approve of solutions that lack an 'ism' and merely treat the symptoms rather than the root cause [2]. I believe our study society should not be a mere gathering of people or a union of emotions; it must become a union of 'isms.' An 'ism' is like a flag; only when the flag is hoisted do the people have something to look toward and know where to head." Mao once told Edgar Snow that after establishing a Marxist worldview in the summer of 1920, he never wavered. The Marxist worldview is the "fundamental source" through which Mao and all Communists understand the world.
Diligent and Arduous Study
The establishment of correct ideals and convictions stems first from the study and mastery of Marxism and various forms of scientific knowledge. On February 29, 1916, Mao wrote to Xiao Zisheng, listing seventy-seven titles from the "Classics, History, Philosophy, and Belles-Lettres" [3] that he intended to read. Mao did not merely study China's traditional canon; he turned his gaze toward the vast universe and the entire world. He read extensively in the social and natural sciences of 18th and 19th-century Europe. In his autobiography, Mao noted: "Three books in particular were deeply carved into my heart, establishing my faith in Marxism. Once I accepted Marxism as the correct interpretation of history, my faith never wavered." These books were: The Communist Manifesto, translated by Chen Wangdao (the first Marxist book published in Chinese); Class Struggle by Karl Kautsky; and A History of Socialism by Thomas Kirkup. Mao himself stated he had read The Communist Manifesto no fewer than a hundred times. He also read Capital through three times, "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder and Two Tactics of Social-Democracy in the Democratic Revolution six times each, and the History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks), Short Course ten times.
Reading the "Book Without Words" in Practice
Knowledge from books must be integrated with practice; this represents a transformation of the "practical statesmanship" [4] school of Huxiang culture, represented by Wang Fuzhi. In his youth, Mao understood this deeply. From mid-July to August 16, 1917, Mao and Xiao Zisheng traveled on foot through five counties—Changsha, Ningxiang, Anhua, Yiyang, and Yuanjiang—a month-long journey of over 900 li. During this long journey, they did not carry a single cent, supporting their "scholarly wandering" by writing couplets for people in exchange for food and lodging. Along the way, they interacted with all social strata in urban and rural areas, learning about local customs and acquiring much fresh knowledge. In the spring of 1918, Mao and Cai Hesen traveled along the southern and eastern shores of Dongting Lake through Xiangyin, Yueyang, Pingjiang, and Liuyang counties for over half a month to understand social conditions and read the "book without words."
On January 4, 1927, Mao set out from Changsha for the Hunan countryside to investigate the peasant movement. From the 4th to the 9th, he conducted investigations in the county seat of Xiangtan, and the areas of Yintian and Shaoshan. On February 5, his 32-day investigation of five Hunan counties concluded, forming the basis for his famous Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan. Many people mistakenly believe that because Mao only visited the Soviet Union twice, he had no understanding of the world and was thus unfit to lead China's revolution and construction. However, theory is the crystallization of practice; only when integrated with practice can one truly grasp the essence of theory. In fact, long before the summer of 1920, Mao had already read and understood almost all famous works from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, including the classics of Marxism-Leninism; it was only Marxism-Leninism that mastered and conquered him. He closely integrated the universal truths of Marxism-Leninism with the actual conditions of China at the time, completing the transformation of his worldview. This gave birth to mature works such as Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society (1925), Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan (1927), and Why Is It That Red Political Power Can Exist in China? (1928), which also signaled the birth of Mao Zedong Thought. Re-reading and examining these three works today, one finds that the stance, viewpoint, and method used to analyze problems have not become obsolete and remain highly relevant.
The Integration of Theory and Practice to Transform the Worldview and Serve the People Wholeheartedly
In May 1942, in his Talks at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, Mao pointed out: "I began as a student and acquired the habits of a student; I felt it undignified to do even a little manual labor, such as carrying my own luggage, in the presence of my fellow students who were incapable of carrying anything either in their hands or on their shoulders. At that time, I felt that the only clean people in the world were the intellectuals, and that workers and peasants were always somewhat dirty. I would wear the clothes of other intellectuals, believing them to be clean, but I would not wear the clothes of workers or peasants, believing them to be dirty. After the revolution started and I lived among workers, peasants, and soldiers of the revolutionary army, I gradually became familiar with them, and they with me. It was then, and only then, that I fundamentally changed the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois feelings taught to me in bourgeois schools." In February 1957, Mao stated: "The change in worldview is a fundamental one." In March 1957, he added: "If intellectuals integrate with the masses of workers and peasants and become friends with them... we will all have a common language, not only the common language of patriotism and the socialist system, but perhaps also the common language of a communist worldview." What is a correct worldview? In a certain sense, it is to serve the people wholeheartedly. On August 19, 1958, during a conversation with several leaders, Mao said: "There is benefit in being with the laborers; our feelings will change, and this will influence the tens of millions of children of our cadres. Cao Cao was right to mock Emperor Xian of Han by saying he was 'born in the depths of the palace and raised by the hands of women.'" Here, Mao not only re-emphasized the importance of educated youth integrating with the workers and peasants but also further expounded the profound principle that cadres at all levels must never detach themselves from the masses.
On May 27, 1960, Bernard Montgomery said to Mao: "My criterion for a political leader is whether he will sacrifice his principles for the sake of his position. If a leader sacrifices his principles to achieve high status, he is not a good man." Mao replied: "My view is this: a leader should be the spokesperson for the vast majority of the people." Montgomery said: "But he cannot sacrifice his principles!" Mao responded: "That is the principle: he should represent the desires of the people." However, emphasizing service to the people by no means excludes legitimate personal interests. Between late 1959 and early 1960, during talks while reading the Soviet Textbook of Political Economy, Mao clearly pointed out: "The 'public' exists in relation to the 'private,' and the 'private' in relation to the 'public.' Public and private are a unity of opposites; there cannot be the public without the private, nor the private without the public. We have always advocated for giving consideration to both public and private interests; we said long ago that there is no such thing as being 'utterly public and without self' [5], and we have also said 'public first, private second.' The individual is a member of the collective; when collective interests increase, personal interests improve accordingly." One cannot serve the people wholeheartedly while living in comfort. In March 1959, Mao once said: "Serve the people through hardship." For the cause of the Chinese revolution and construction, Mao sacrificed six of his relatives.