Chapter 47 Letter to Qin Bangxian[1]

(August 31, 1944) Comrade Bogu: This article [2] has been revised a bit, and it was originally intended to be published. Later, I realized that the changes were not in harmony with the original text, so I decided not to publish it, and asked the newspaper [3] to write another article that did not involve many fundamental issues and published it.Regarding the inadequacy of the original text, my opinion is as follows: the original text focuses on transforming the family, and says little about connecting with the mass movement (that is, it is also the same in the published editorial [4]), and the focus of the question is exactly It is about linking home renovation with mass movement.This kind of mass movement includes the local mass movement that does not separate from the family—the labor change team[5] and cooperatives, the self-defense army and the militia, the township council, the primary school, the literacy team and the Yangko team, as well as various temporary assemblies of the masses; Mass movements away from the family and away from the countryside—entering the army (only the revolutionary army), entering the factory (only having the labor market), entering the school (only having the intellectuals), and going out to do things, etc.The central purpose of the democratic revolution is to liberate the peasants from the invaders, landlords, and compradors, and to establish a modern industrial society. The slogan of "strengthening the family" is a revolutionary slogan only in connection with the above-mentioned revolutionary movements.Peasants' families are bound to be destroyed. Entering the army or entering a factory is a great destruction, that is, "leaving the family" one after another.In fact, we are advocating a dual policy of "getting out of the family" and "strengthening the family".Expanding the army, returning to the army, recruiting workers, recruiting students (the latter two items will increase in the future), emigrating, going out to do revolutionary work, finding other jobs, etc., all advocate leaving the family. This number is very large in the battlefield behind enemy lines. It will also be great after the war.The remaining men, women, old and young are the ones who advocate strengthening their families.In Xingguo County during the civil war, some families were left to be consolidated by us, and they accounted for a minority of the population.As long as there is a major change in the current situation, such as the fall of Beiping, many people will leave the family in the rural family population in the border area where we live, which rarely changes.In fact, it is what we need to go out and consolidate constantly.Therefore, it should not be impossible to completely deny the "May 4th" slogan and completely oppose going out of the family.

Without social activities (wars, factories, rent reduction, labor teams, etc.), it is impossible to transform the family.The transformation of Li Laicheng's family in Xiangyuan was achieved in the great wave of social mass movement.The transformation of rural families from feudalism to democracy cannot be obtained by isolated family members who read good opinions in books or newspapers, but can only be obtained through mass movements. In addition, the foundation of the new democratic society is factories (social production, public and private) and cooperatives (including labor teams), not scattered individual economies.Scattered individual economy - family farming and family handicrafts are the foundation of feudal society, not the foundation of democratic society (old democracy, new democracy, socialism, all included), this is where Marxism differs from populism.In short, the foundation of the new democratic society is machines, not manual work.We haven't got the machines yet, so we haven't won yet.If we never get machines, we will never win, we will perish.The current rural areas are temporary bases, not and cannot be the main foundation of the entire Chinese democratic society.From the agricultural base to the industrial base is exactly the task of our revolution.

Please give the three comrades Ai, Lu and Yu [6] a read.If you have any comments, please let us know. salute! Mao Zedong August 31 Also, I added a liberated personality to the revised text, which is what democracy must include in the feudal revolution.It is not true that we ignore or suppress individuality.If the fettered individuality is not liberated, there will be neither democracy nor socialism. Printed from manuscript. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Qin Bangxian, also known as Bogu, was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu.At that time, he was the president of Liberation Daily.

[2] Refers to the draft editorial of the "Liberation Daily" originally titled "Building the Foundation of a New-Democratic Society in the Family". [3] Refers to Jiefang Daily. [4] Refers to the editorial published by "Liberation Daily" on August 25, 1944 on the establishment of a new-style family by Li Laicheng in Xiangyuan, Shanxi, entitled "Promote the New-style Family in the Base Area". [5] Work change team, see note [4] on page 76 of this volume. [6] Ai, referring to Ai Siqi, who was then the head of the Supplement Department of the Jiefang Daily.Lu, refers to Lu Dingyi (1906-1996), a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu, who was the editor-in-chief of the "Liberation Daily" at that time.Yu refers to Yu Guangsheng (1906-1978), a native of Zhenhai, Zhejiang, who was then the deputy editor-in-chief of "Liberation Daily".