Serve the People

"Serve the People" (Chinese: 为人民服务) is a political slogan and the motto of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It originates from the title of a speech by Mao Zedong, delivered in September 1944.

For other uses, see Serve the People (disambiguation).
"Wei Renmin Fuwu" redirects here. For the film, see The Candidate (1998 film).
The slogan displayed at Sun Yat-sen University
Serve the People
Traditional Chinese爲人民服務
Simplified Chinese为人民服务

The slogan became popular in the United States due to the strong Maoist influence on the New Left, especially among the Red Guard Party, the Black Panther Party, and the Yellow Brotherhood of West Los Angeles.[1]

Development

Mao Zedong wrote this speech to commemorate the death of a PLA soldier, Zhang Side, a participant in the Long March who died in the collapse of a kiln when he worked in Shaanxi province.[2]: 54  In the speech, Mao quoted a phrase written by the famous Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian: "Though death befalls all men alike, it may be heavy as Mount Tai or light as a feather" (人固有一死，或轻于鸿毛，或重于泰山). Mao continued: "To die for the people is weightier than Mount Tai, but to work for the fascists and die for the exploiters and oppressors is lighter than a feather. Comrade Zhang Side died for the people, and his death is indeed weightier than Mount Tai".

The speech, delivered on 8 September 1944, states that the CCP and the People's Liberation Army have no other goal than to serve the people.[3]: 66  It states that the CCP and its cadres should not be afraid of criticism, and if criticism is correct, they should accept it and revise their behavior accordingly.[3]: 66  It also states that everyone in the revolutionary ranks is equal regardless of title or position.[3]: 66 

The phrase "serve the people" became rhetorically important and subsequently appeared in important texts of Chinese Marxism including On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People.[2]: 115 

Use in Mao-era China

During the Third Front campaign to develop basic industry and national defense industry in China's interior, Serve the People was frequently assigned as reading for Third Front workers.[4]: 94 

During the Cultural Revolution, the speech was widely read and people were encouraged to memorize it.[3]: 66  Its messages had the effect of serving as a code of conduct which ordinary people could use to hold officials accountable.[3]: 66–67 

Contemporary uses
The slogan displayed on the wall of Xinhua Gate in Zhongnanhai

The slogan of serving the people reflects the influence of the Maoist principle of the mass line.[2]: 43 

Ceremonial role

It is inscribed on the screen wall facing the front entrance of the Zhongnanhai compound, which houses the headquarters of the Central People's Government and the CCP.

Since 1984, during inspections of troops in the People's Liberation Army, the following ceremonial exchange is carried out:

Inspecting official: "Hello, Comrades!" (同志们好; tóng zhì men hǎo)
Troops: "Hello, Leader [or Chairman]!"[note 1][5] (首长 [主席] 好; shǒu zhǎng [zhǔ xí] hǎo)
Inspecting official: "Comrades, you have worked hard!" (同志们辛苦了; tóng zhì men xīn kǔ le!)
Troops: "[We] Serve the people!" (为人民服务!; wèi rén mín fú wù!)

Cultural role

In 2007, actress Cameron Diaz caused a minor controversy by carrying a bag with the "Serve the People" slogan in Chinese on a tour of Peru. Many Peruvians felt the bag to be a show of support for the Maoist movement Shining Path.[6]

In 2005, author Yan Lianke wrote a satirical novel set during the Cultural Revolution titled Serve the People! about an affair between the wife of a military officer and a peasant soldier.[7][8]

Huawei founder and CCP member Ren Zhengfei states that Huawei's culture is the same as the CCP's culture, "and to serve the people wholeheartedly means to be customer-centric and responsible to society."[2]: 9  The conglomerate Hengtong Group characterizes its business mission as "Serve the people and devote to the society," also a reference to Mao's speech.[2]: 56 

See also

Notes
  1. The greeting 首长好 ("Hello, Leader!") was traditionally used by all leaders during troop inspections since Chairman Mao's era. However, since 2017, a distinguished 主席好 ("Hello, Chairman!") has been used when Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping is inspecting.

References
  1. Elbaum, Max (2002). Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che. Verso. ISBN 978-1-85984-617-9.
  2. Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise. Kunyuan Qiao. New Haven: Yale University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv3006z6k. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. JSTOR j.ctv3006z6k. OCLC 1348572572. S2CID 253067190.
  3. Han, Dongping (2008). The Unknown Cultural Revolution: Life and Change in a Chinese Village. New York: Monthly Review Press. ISBN 978-1-58367-180-1. OCLC 227930948.
  4. Meyskens, Covell F. (2020). Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-78478-8. OCLC 1145096137.
  5. "改慣例「首長好」變「主席好」". Apple Daily. 2017-07-01.
  6. Davis, Caris (25 June 2007), "Cameron Diaz Apologizes for Fashion Faux Pas", People, retrieved 28 April 2010
  7. Beijing, Mary-Anne Toy (2007-07-28). "A pen for the people". The Age. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  8. Schillinger, Liesl (2008-05-04). "Kissing the Cook". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
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