Luochuan Conference

In order to further implement the Party's strategy of the Anti-Japanese National United Front and determine the Party's program, line and policy during the war period, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held an enlarged meeting in Fengjia Village, Luochuan County, northern Shaanxi Province, from August 22 to 25, 1937, known as the Luochuan Conference. The members and alternate members of the Political Bureau who attended the meeting were: Mao Zedong, Zhang Wentian, Zhou Enlai, Bo Gu, Zhu De, Ren Bishi, Guan Xiangying, Kai Feng, and Zhang Guotao. Other relevant individuals were: Peng Dehuai, Liu Bocheng, He Long, Zhang Hao, Lin Biao, Nie Rongzhen, Luo Ruiqing, Zhang Wenbin, Xiao Jingguang, Lin Boqu, Xu Xianqian, Zhou Jianping, Fu Zhong and 22 other people.

The Conference was presided over by Zhang Wentian. On behalf of the Central Political Bureau, Mao Zedong made a report on military issues and relations with the KMT, profoundly analyzing the situation of the Chinese revolution, pointing out that the Anti-Japanese War would be a hard and protracted war, and proposing the political line and basic policy to be adopted by the Party during the period of resistance against Japan. And Zhang Wentian analyzed in detail the political situation at that time. He pointed out that our task was to mobilize all forces to fight for victory in the war against Japan and elaborated and played on Mao Zedong's strategic policy of protracted war. Besides that, Zhou Enlai reported on the Nanking Negotiations, the War of Resistance in Shanghai, the political and economic situation in the KMT-ruled areas, as well as the defense and diplomacy of the Nanking government.

Mao Zedong summarized the meeting on behalf of the Central Political Bureau. He pointed out that the principle of independence in the Anti-Japanese National United Front must have been upheld, and that the Party must have implemented the leadership of the Anti-Japanese War, relied on the people, implemented a comprehensive Anti-Japanese War, and opposed one-sided resistance and compromised concessions in order to achieve complete victory in the national revolutionary war.

The Conference decided to launch independent guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines and to establish anti-Japanese base areas behind enemy lines. At the same time, it emphasized that the Party's work would focus both on the war zones and behind the enemy lines; decided to adopt the policy of rent reduction and interest reduction as the basic policy for solving the peasant problem during the anti-Japanese period; and to let go of the mass movement for anti-Japanese resistance in the KMT-ruled areas in order to fight for the people's due political and economic rights. The Conference adopted the "Decision of the Central Committee on the Current Situation and the Tasks of the Party", the "Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japan and Saving the Country” and the publicity and agitation outline drafted by Mao Zedong for this purpose, "Struggle to Mobilize All Forces for Victory in the War of Resistance".

The "Decision of the Central Committee on the Current Situation and the Tasks of the Party" correctly analyzed the political situation after the outbreak of the war and stipulated that the central task of the Party was to "mobilize all forces for the final victory” in the War of Resistance. The Decision analyzed the essence and danger of the KMT's one-sided anti-war line and pointed out that "a comprehensive, nationwide anti-war" was the key to victory in the anti-war. The Decision emphasizes the Party's leadership responsibility for the Anti-Japanese War and its adherence to the Party's principle of independence in the united front.

The Conference further reconstituted the Central Military Commission organizationally. The members of the Military Commission consisted of 11 people, including Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai, Ren Bishi, Zhang Hao, Ye Jianying, Lin Biao, He Long, Liu Bocheng and Xu Xianqian. Mao Zedong was the Chairman of the Military Commission, and Zhu De and Zhou Enlai were the Vice Chairmen of the Military Commission.

The Luochuan Conference was an important meeting held at a turning point in history when the Anti-Japanese War was in full swing. It correctly formulated a comprehensive anti-war line that was in contrast to the one-sided anti-war line of the KMT, and laid down the political program, basic tasks and policies of the Party during the Anti-Japanese War period, thus indicating the direction of struggle for the Party and the whole nation and laying the foundation for the great victory of the Anti-Japanese War.