Talks at the Yan’an Forum on Literature and Art

Mao Zedong's speech at the Forum on Literature and Art held in Yan’an in May 1942 includes two parts: The “Introduction” on May 2 and the “Conclusion” on May 23. On October 19, 1943, this speech was officially published in Yan’an Jiefang Daily, which is one of the important documents that must be read in Yan’an Rectification Movement. It was included in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Volume 3.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, a large number of literary and art workers came to Yan'an from enemy occupied areas and KMT ruled areas, and made positive efforts to develop revolutionary literature and art. However, some of them still do not know why people serve in literature and art. Under such circumstances, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to hold a forum on literature and art in Yan’an to carry out a rectification of literature and art.

The introduction of the “Speech” points out that this forum today to exchange ideas and examine the relationship between work in the literary and artistic fields and revolutionary work in general. Our aim is to ensure that revolutionary literature and art follow the correct path of development and provide better help to other revolutionary work in facilitating the overthrow of our national enemy and the accomplishment of the task of national liberation. To defeat the enemy we must rely primarily on the army with guns. But this army alone is not enough; we must also have a cultural army, which is absolutely indispensable for uniting our own ranks and defeating the enemy. The purpose of our meeting today is precisely to ensure that literature and art fit well into the whole revolutionary machine as a component part, that they operate as powerful weapons for uniting and educating the people and for attacking and destroying the enemy, and that they help the people fight the enemy with one heart and one mind. They are the problems of the class stand of the writers and artists, their attitude, their audience, their work and their study.

The conclusion of the "Speech" expounded some fundamental orientation issues in the literary movement. The first question is: literature and art led by the Party is for whom? Mao Zedong pointed out: "This question of ‘for whom?’ is fundamental; it is a question of principle." “Our literature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants and soldiers and are for their use.” Secondly, starting from the fundamental question of the literature and art led by the Party, the speech expounds three questions: firstly, how to serve the workers, peasants and soldiers; secondly, the inner-Party and non-Party relations in literature and art work; and thirdly, the criticism of literature and art. Mao Zedong pointed out that we are dialectical materialists who insist on the unity of motive and effect. The motive of serving the masses is inseparably linked with the effect of winning their approval; the two must be united. Literary and artistic criticism should be put in the first place by political standards and in the second place by artistic standards.

Finally, Mao Zedong pointed out that the problems discussed here exist in our literary and art circles in Yan’an. What does that show? It shows that wrong styles of work still exist to a serious extent in our literary and art circles and that there are still many defects among our comrades, such as idealism, dogmatism, empty illusions, empty talk, contempt for practice and aloofness from the masses, all of which call for an effective and serious campaign of rectification.

The “Speech” puts forward and solves a series of fundamental theoretical and policy problems, and clearly explains the policy of literature and art serving workers, peasants and soldiers, marking the beginning of a new era of literature and art which combines new literature with the masses of workers, peasants and soldiers. The direction and road indicated in the "Speech" have always been the correct direction and road that must be followed in the development of Chinese literary and artistic undertakings.