Chapter 102 The work of the Youth League should take care of the characteristics of the youth [1]

(June 30, 1953) The issue of the Youth League's independence from the party has long since passed.The problem now is the lack of independent work of the regiment, not independence. The Youth League must cooperate with the Party's central work, but in cooperating with the Party's central work, it must conduct its own independent work and take care of the characteristics of the youth.In 1952 I talked with comrades at the League Central Committee, and I came up with two topics for the League Central Committee to study. One was how the Party led the work of the League, and the other was how the League did its work.Both topics contain the characteristics of how to take care of young people.The local party committees reported that they are satisfied with the work of the youth league, and the satisfaction lies in the cooperation with the party's central work.Now I want to be dissatisfied, that is, the work of the Youth League has not yet adapted to the characteristics of young people, and they should engage in independent activities.The leading organs of the party and the league must learn to lead the work of the league, be good at organizing and educating the broad masses of young people by focusing on the central task of the party, taking into account the characteristics of the youth.

Under the leadership of the party, the Youth League actively participated in various revolutionary work and made great achievements.Regardless of the revolutionary cause in the factory, in the countryside, in the army, or in the schools, it cannot be victorious without youth.Chinese youth are very disciplined, and they have completed various tasks assigned by the party.Now that peace is being negotiated in North Korea and land reform is over, the focus of domestic work is shifting to socialist transformation and socialist construction.This is to learn.The Youth League must learn to lead the youth and, together with the adults, do a good job in agriculture in the countryside, in industry in the cities, in studies in schools, in work in government agencies, and in the army to train the National Defense Force well, so as to become a modern army. .

Young people between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five need to study and work, but youth is a period of physical growth, and it will be very dangerous if young people do not pay attention to their physical growth.Youth need to learn more than adults, and learn many things that adults have already learned.However, their study and work burdens should not be too heavy.Especially for young people aged 14 to 18, the labor intensity cannot be the same as that of adults.Young people just want to play more, have more entertainment, and dance, otherwise they will be unhappy.In the future, we will fall in love and get married.These are different from adults.

I would like to say a few words to the young people: first, congratulate them on good health; second, congratulate them on studying well; third, congratulate them on good work. I propose that students sleep for an additional hour.Now it's eight hours, but in fact it's only six or seven hours, and I generally feel that I don't get enough sleep.Because educated youth are prone to neurasthenia, they often cannot fall asleep or wake up.Be sure to stipulate nine hours of sleep.Make an order, don't discuss it, enforce it.Young people should sleep well, and teachers should also get enough sleep.

The revolution brought many benefits, but it also brought a disadvantage, that is, everyone was too active and enthusiastic, so that they were too tired.Now we must ensure that everyone is in good health, and that workers, farmers, soldiers, students, and cadres are all in good health.Of course, good health does not necessarily mean good study, and there must be some ways to study. Now junior high school students spend more time in class, which can be appropriately reduced.Activists hold too many meetings and should also reduce them.On the one hand, study, on the other hand, entertainment, rest, and sleep, these two aspects must be given full consideration.Young workers, peasants, and soldiers should study while working, and give full consideration to both work and study, recreation, rest and sleep.

You must pay close attention to both ends, study and work, sleep, rest and entertainment.In the past, I only grasped one end firmly, but the other end could not be grasped or did not grasp.Now we need to engage in some entertainment, we need time and equipment, and we need to pay close attention to this end.The Party Central Committee has decided to reduce the number of meetings and study time, and you must supervise the implementation.Anyone who does not implement it must be questioned. In short, we must ensure that young people have good health, good study and good work.Some leading comrades only want to work for young people and do not take care of their health, so you can use this sentence to reprimand them.The reason is very good, it is to protect the younger generation to grow up better.Our generation has suffered because adults do not take care of children.There is a table for adults to eat, but there is no table for villains.The doll has no right to speak at home, and she is slapped when she cries.Now New China needs to change its policy and design for young people.

Young cadres should be elected as members of the League Central Committee.During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao [2] led an army to the south of the Yangtze River to attack Soochow.At that time, Zhou Yu[3] was a "Youth League member" who was the commander-in-chief of Soochow. Cheng Pu[4] and other veterans refused to accept it, but they were persuaded later, and he was still the one, and they won the battle.Now Zhou Yu is asked to be a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, but everyone disagrees! Is it okay to choose only the older members of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, and too few young ones? Of course, not all of them are based on age, but also on ability.In the list of candidates for the Youth League Central Committee, there were originally only nine candidates under the age of 30. Now, after discussion by the Party Central Committee, the number has increased to more than 60, accounting for only a little more than a quarter.Those who are over thirty years old still account for almost three-quarters, and some comrades say that there are fewer.I say a lot.Some comrades say that they are not sure whether the sixty or so young people are all competent.To fully believe in young people, most of them will be competent.There is no need to be afraid that some individuals may be incompetent, as they can be re-elected in the future.In doing so, the basic direction cannot be wrong.Young people are not weaker than us.Old people are experienced, of course they are strong, but their physiological functions are gradually deteriorating, their eyes and ears are not so sharp, and their hands and feet are not as agile as young people.This is the law of nature.Comrades who disagree must be persuaded.

The Youth League should take care of the characteristics of the youth, have its own systematic work, and at the same time be under the leadership of the Party committees at all levels.This is not a new invention, it has been around for a long time, and this is what Marxism has always said.This is based on reality.Young people are young people, otherwise, why would there be a need for youth leagues? Young people are different from adults, and young women are different from young men. If these characteristics are not taken into account, they will become alienated from the masses.You now have nine million League members. If you do not pay attention to the characteristics of the youth, perhaps only one million will support you, and eight million will not support you.

In the work of the Youth League, we must take care of the majority and at the same time pay attention to advanced youth.In this way, some advanced elements may not be satisfied, and they ask to be stricter with all members of the league.This is not so appropriate, to persuade them.The draft constitution of the regiment has more obligations and fewer rights, so it should be relaxed so that the majority can follow.Focus on the many, not just the few. Your draft regiment stipulates that if you do not participate in organizational life for four months, you will automatically leave the regiment. This is too strict.The party constitution still stipulates six months, can you also stipulate six months? If it is impossible, or if only one million people can do it, or eight million people can't do it, don't stipulate it in the group constitution.Principles should be implemented flexibly.It should be like that, it is like this, there is a distance in between.It will take several years before some legal provisions are actually implemented.For example, many provisions of the Marriage Law are programmatic, and it will take at least three five-year plans to fully implement them. "Don't talk nonsense behind your back" is correct in principle, but it doesn't have to be written in the regiment constitution.The opposition to liberalism is long-term, and there is still a lot of liberalism in the party.It is impossible to allow people to curse behind their backs.Don't make the frame too small, the main thing is to clearly define the boundaries between the enemy and ourselves.

Prestige is built gradually.In the past, some people in the army made up ballads and cursed people. We couldn't help but check it out, and the army still didn't collapse.We only grasped some big ones, such as the three major disciplines and eight points of attention, and the team slowly got on track.The people's true admiration for the leader depends on understanding through revolutionary practice.To truly understand, to believe.Now the prestige of the League Central Committee is quite high.Some people still don't admire it, but they will gradually.The young man has just come to power, and his prestige is not high, so don't worry, it is impossible not to be criticized or scolded.There are "small broadcasts" because the "big broadcasts" are underdeveloped.As long as the democratic life is full, the scars are exposed face to face, and people "small broadcast", he will say that he has no time and needs to rest.But there will always be problems. Don’t think that they can be solved all at once. If there are problems today, there will be problems in the future.

The overall task of the Party in the transition period is to basically complete socialist industrialization and the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce through three five-year plans.Three five-year plans are fifteen years.One small step in one year, one big step in five years, three big steps are almost enough.Basically completed, does not mean fully completed.It is a prudent way to say that it is basically completed. It is always better to be cautious about things in the world. Most of China's agriculture is now an individual economy, and socialist transformation must be carried out step by step.To develop the agricultural mutual aid and cooperation movement, the principle of voluntariness must be adhered to.If you don't develop, you will follow the road of capitalism, which is right deviation.It doesn't matter if you go too far, that's "Left" leaning.Have to be prepared step by step.We have never fought a battle without preparation or confidence, nor have we fought a battle with only preparation but no certainty.In the war against Chiang Kai-shek in the past, some people made the mistake of subjectivism at the beginning, but after rectification, subjectivism was eliminated, and the battle was won.Now is the battle for socialism, to complete socialist industrialization and the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce.This is the general task of the people of the whole country.How the Youth League will carry out this general task, you should make appropriate regulations according to the characteristics of the youth. It is published according to "Selected Readings of Mao Zedong's Works" published by People's Publishing House in 1986. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is Mao Zedong's talk with the presidium of the Second National Congress of the Chinese New Democratic Youth League. [2] Cao Cao (155-220), born in Qiao (now Haozhou, Anhui), was a statesman, military strategist, and writer during the Three Kingdoms period.In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (AD 208), he led an army of hundreds of thousands to the south and was defeated in Chibi by the troops of Sun Quan and Liu Bei. [3] Zhou Yu (175-210), a native of Shu County, Lujiang (now southeast of Lujiang, Anhui), was a general of the Sun Quan Ministry of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, and served as the former governor of the Ministry.In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (AD 208), Cao Cao led his army to the south, Zhou Yu resolutely led the battle, and personally led the Soochow army and Liu Bei's army to defeat Cao's army in Chibi. [4] Cheng Pu (?——215), a native of Youbeiping Tuyin (now east of Fengrun, Hebei).At the beginning, he followed Sun Jian, and later assisted Sun Quan as the governor of the left.In the thirteenth year of Jian'an (AD 208), he participated in the Chibi War under the leadership of Zhou Yu.