"Mao Zedong's thinking method has two very distinctive characteristics. One is seeking truth from facts, and the other is the people's stand. These two characteristics are inspiring for us in any undertaking today." "What should students in non-related disciplines do better? "Can

"Mao Zedong's thinking method has two very distinctive characteristics. One is seeking truth from facts, and the other is the people's stand. These two characteristics are inspiring for us in any undertaking today."

"What should students in non-related disciplines do? To better learn the theoretical knowledge of Marxism? ”

“Can the glorious history of the Chinese Communist Party leading the people in united struggle also prove the end of history in a new sense? ”

on Dragon TV’s “This Is China” Chapter In the 101st episode of the program, Professor Zhang Weiwei and Professor Wu Xinwen from the China Institute of Fudan University came to Fudan University in Shanghai to give a lecture on Mao Zedong Thought and Marxist modernization and answer questions from the audience. The following is a manuscript compiled by Observer.com based on the program content.

Zhang Weiwei:

On the occasion of celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Party, I would like to talk to you about the three leaders of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and Zhou Enlai. Today let’s talk about Mao Zedong and “asking who is in charge of the ups and downs of the vast land.” Not long ago, I was giving a lecture at a university in China. Just in time, Ofcom first revoked the broadcasting license of China International Television, and then found some ridiculous reasons to issue a fine of 225,000 pounds to China Television, which is approximately RMB 2.03 million. , not too harmful, but extremely insulting.

A listener asked me how to deal with such a problem. I said it was very simple and told the British: the Chinese people will not agree. If Britain insists on having its own way, it will pay a heavy price. China has the world's largest media market and the largest consumer market. We know how to deal with the British ignorance and arrogance.

The statement "the Chinese people will not agree" is actually influenced by Chairman Mao and embodies Mao Zedong Thought. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Chairman Mao and Chiang Kai-shek had completely different characterizations of the war. Chiang Kai-shek believed that this was a war between countries and could be resolved in accordance with international law and submitted to the League of Nations and international law arbitration. Chairman Mao believed from the beginning that this was a class war and a people's war. It was a war between the Japanese ruling class and warlords. The class war launched against the Chinese people, we must defeat the aggressors with people's war.

This reminds me that in today’s exchange of words between China and the United States, we very clearly reject the so-called rules-based international order proposed by the United States. What we support is the international order formed after the war with the United Nations at its core, because this It is an international order that the Chinese people participate in and build and recognize.

Our generation is deeply influenced by the young Mao Zedong. Young Mao Zedong was concerned about world affairs, and we were also concerned about world affairs; young Mao Zedong took cold showers, and we also took cold showers; young Mao Zedong did social surveys, and we also did social surveys, which were later not only done in China, but also around the world. Youth Mao Zedong said, the world is our world, the country is our country, society is our society, if we don’t say it, who will? If we don’t do it, who will? We firmly believe in this and have been practicing it to this day, including the program "This Is China". We want to turn the construction of Chinese discourse into a vibrant cause, a cause that reaches society and the world.

In the modern history of China, countless people with lofty ideals are seeking the truth and exploring the road to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Comrade Mao Zedong said that there were three books that established his belief in Marxism. One of them was the "Communist Manifesto" translated by Mr. Chen Wangdao, the old president of Fudan University.

Mao Zedong said that the October Revolution brought us Marxism-Leninism. Chinese people with lofty ideals suddenly realized that Marxism can bring the working people, who account for the vast majority of the world's population, onto the political stage. That is what Marx said in "The Communist Party of China" What is said in the Manifesto: The proletarian movement is an independent movement for the overwhelming majority of the people and for the benefit of the overwhelming majority of the people.

When Mao Zedong was 32 years old, that is, in 1925, he wrote a launch speech for a magazine called "Political Weekly" at that time. He wrote this: "In order to liberate the Chinese nation, in order to realize people's rule, and enable the people to gain Economic happiness”.The success of the October Revolution was the success of Marxism-Leninism. This made Chinese people with lofty ideals, including Mao Zedong, suddenly see that the Chinese people could be organized through the Communist Party to achieve three goals: national independence and liberation, the people being the masters of the country, and the prosperity of the people. Good health. These three goals are, to a large extent, the unswerving original aspiration of the Communist Party of China.

Looking back on the party’s century-old struggle, this original intention and understanding is actually only the first step. When the Communist Party of China was founded in 1921, it was a party dominated by Marxist intellectuals. Cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party began in 1924. At that time, there were two main tendencies within the party. One was to take the upper-level elite route and focus on cooperation with the Kuomintang. Another tendency is to focus on the labor movement and ignore the peasants. Chairman Mao, through a large number of field investigations and thinking, called on the Chinese Communists to immediately make up their minds to study the peasant issue during the period from 1925 to 1926.

Mao Zedong Call on everyone to "go to the countryside you are familiar with or unfamiliar with, bask in the scorching sun in summer, brave the cold wind and snow in winter, hold the hands of farmers, ask them what they are suffering from, and ask them what they need. From their In the face of pain and need, guide them to organize, guide them to fight against the local tyrants and evil gentry, and guide them to participate in the national revolutionary movement against imperialism and warlords."

Mao Zedong pointed out many times that "China's revolution is essentially a peasant revolution." The peasant issue is the basic issue of the Chinese revolution, and the power of the peasants is the main force of the Chinese revolution." "Whoever wins the farmers will win China; whoever solves the land problem will win the farmers." These views of Mao Zedong were excluded within our party and within the entire Communist International at that time, and were non-mainstream views. History has proved that Mao Zedong's judgment was correct. This reminds me of something Deng Xiaoping said many times: Without Chairman Mao’s words, we might still be wandering in darkness.

I use three examples to further illustrate this point. In the 1920s, most people in the party accepted the Soviet Union’s Marxist interpretation of the development laws of human history, which were the “five social forms” that we are all familiar with: from primitive society to slave society, to feudal society, to capital socialist society, to a socialist society.

Based on this view, Stalin believed that China was a feudal society, China needed a bourgeois revolution, and the Chinese Communist Party should assist the Chinese Kuomintang. Even before Chiang Kai-shek's "April 12 Massacre" occurred in 1927, the Communist International still instructed the CCP not to launch a struggle against the bourgeois right wing and not to launch a peasant movement.

April 12 counter-revolutionary rebellion. Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia

However, based on his profound analysis of Chinese society, Mao Zedong believed that China was not a simple feudal society. Chinese society had a capitalist nature, and China's bureaucratic comprador bourgeoisie was a dark force colluding with imperialism. , China's local tyrants and evil gentry are the representatives of this dark force at the bottom of Chinese society, and they are the main targets of the Chinese revolution. Therefore, Mao Zedong focused on organizing the peasant movement. Before the "April 12 Massacre", he had hosted many Chinese peasant movement workshops in Guangzhou and Wuhan, laying the foundation for the subsequent peasant movement.

The second example is that after experiencing the failure of the Great Revolution, the Communist Party of China led the Nanchang Uprising on August 1, 1927, firing the first shot at the Kuomintang, and held an emergency meeting in Hankou on August 7, 1927. At that time, Mao Zedong put forward the thesis that "political power emerges from the barrel of a gun". He then organized the "Autumn Harvest Riots" and established the Jinggangshan Revolutionary Base. He theoretically elaborated that China must take the road of surrounding cities with rural areas and seizing power with arms. . This was considered deviant by the Communist International and the mainstream within the party at the time, but later proved to be realistic and one of the most important achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism.

The third example is that in 1935, after the Central Red Army overcame rare and unimaginable difficulties and obstacles in the world, it arrived in northern Shaanxi and held the famous "Wayaobao Conference". At this meeting, Chairman Mao Zedong analyzed the current situation at home and abroad in China. changes, and said many things that have never been said in Marxist-Leninist classics. He proposed that we should unite workers, farmers, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie, establish the broadest united front, unite all forces that can be united, and invest Anti-Japanese War. After talking about it, he no longer mentioned the establishment of a "workers' and peasants' republic", but the establishment of a "people's republic".

He said, “Our government not only represents the workers and peasants, but also represents the entire nation. Because Japan’s aggression has changed China’s class relations, both the petty bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie have the possibility to participate in the anti-Japanese struggle. "He also said some earth-shattering words at the meeting, which people of our age could recite by heart at the time, namely: "Our Chinese nation has the courage to fight its enemies to the bitter end and the determination to restore the old things on the basis of self-reliance. Have the ability to stand on their own among the nations of the world."

These words themselves were so infuriating. Later, when I saw what General Fu Zuoyi of the Kuomintang said in an interview, I became even more emotional. He said that he had heard Mao Zedong’s words back then and he was shocked. He said, " When Mao Zedong said these words, he didn't even have 8,000 people under his command, so he dared to say such things."

What is more significant is that in the fourteen years since this speech was delivered, the power of our people has been overwhelming. Japan was defeated and surrendered, and the Kuomintang was defeated. On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong ascended the Tiananmen Gate Tower and announced the birth of New China. , the Chinese people have stood up since then.

New China was established. Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Chairman Mao Zedong’s far-sightedness is inseparable from his extraordinary knowledge, especially his philosophical outlook. Mao Zedong is undoubtedly the first person and master of the Sinicization of Marxism. One of the biggest characteristics of Marxist philosophy is that it is not just to "explain the world", but also to "change the world." Chairman Mao combined China's historical heritage and summarized this concept of transforming the world as "Practice Theory". This is very meaningful for us to understand today's China and the world. Inspiring and enlightening.

As we all know, philosophy is generally concerned with two major issues. One is called "to be" in English, which is about "existence" and "what is", and some is called "ontology". For example, what is modernity? What is modernization? Another one in English is called "ought to be", which is about "should" and "what should be", called "normative theory". For example, what should modernization look like?

Marxist philosophy is very concerned about practice, which is highly consistent with the Chinese cultural tradition of attaching importance to practice. If the English language is created, it is "to do", which is characterized by "do", "do", "practice" and "experiment". Theory of Practice". Therefore, Mao Zedong repeatedly emphasized "learning war in war" and "looking downward" and "investigation and research."

He was not satisfied with the Western deduction of "ontology" and "normative theory". He put "practical theory" first and proposed a deepening cognitive process of "practice, understanding, practice again, and understanding again" , established the great tradition of "seeking truth from facts" and "practice yields true knowledge" for the Chinese revolution and construction. He put forward a series of correct propositions such as "Why can China's red regime exist" and "Rural areas surround cities and seize power with arms".

Looking back on the past 40 years of reform and opening up, this is actually the case. We are not satisfied with the mainstream narratives of "what is a market economy" and "how to integrate into globalization" in Western theories, but through our own " By "doing", "researching" and "practicing" to "investigate things" and make independent judgments on various foreign ideas and concepts, we have successfully avoided many political and economic traps and explored China's own The path to modern success.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, while we are discussing Chairman Mao Zedong's contributions and Mao Zedong's ideological methods, we must also remember that Chairman Mao is a human being, not a god.For example, Chairman Mao's understanding of the significance of the peasant movement was also a process. Zhou Enlai once recalled this in 1949. He said: Chairman Mao also devoted himself to the urban workers' movement after the "May 4th Movement." At that time, Mr. Tao Xingzhi advocated the "rural movement". Yun Daiying, another leader of the Communist Party of China, asked Chairman Mao if we could also learn from Tao Xingzhi and go to the countryside to do something.

Chairman Mao’s reaction at the time was: Now that we are too busy with work in the cities, how can we go to the countryside? But Chairman Mao soon realized that it was necessary to turn to the countryside. He went to the countryside to do a lot of field research, dissected one "sparrow" after another, and got a thorough understanding of China's peasant movement and peasant issues. This also demonstrates two very distinctive characteristics of Mao Zedong's thinking method, one is seeking truth from facts, and the other is the people's stand. These two characteristics inspire us in any career we engage in today.

From the perspective of the construction of a modern country, one of the greatest achievements of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China is to organize the Chinese people, especially at the most basic level of Chinese society, through the organization of farmers' associations, to fight against local tyrants and divide their fields, and to organize the vast majority of farmers. . It solved the long-standing problem of "a loose sand" in Chinese society, which laid the foundation for China to become a modern country.

I always say that today's China is redefining modernization and modernity in a sense. The COVID-19 outbreak has posed a major test to the political systems and governance levels of various countries. It can be said with certainty that socialism with Chinese characteristics has completely defeated the Western capitalist system in almost all comparable fields.

One of the main differences between China's success in fighting the epidemic and the defeat of the United States in fighting the epidemic is that our grassroots society is organized, so we can fight a people's war against the epidemic, but the United States cannot. In this battle against the epidemic, we have mobilized the people to directly participate to the maximum extent. Authoritative information has reached the grassroots and the people. Everyone knows what to do and how to do it immediately.

Once an infectious disease like COVID-19 occurs in the community, the United States will have almost no way to control it, because Western societies do not have the grassroots organizational capabilities of the Chinese Communist Party and lack the scientific and rational attitude to deal with challenges. The result is that the epidemic prevention and control will naturally be chaotic. caused nearly 600,000 deaths and infected more than 30 million people.

The recent outbreak of the epidemic in India is also very worrying. Media around the world, including many Indian media, even use words such as "purgatory on earth" to describe the tragedy that is happening in India. China has also begun to provide necessary supplies for India's epidemic prevention and control. s help. India's tragedy today is also expected in a sense. I have been to India many times and given many lectures about India. I have never used the concept of "India's rise" because from Chinese standards, Many deep-seated problems in Indian society have not been resolved, making it difficult to achieve real rise.

I think India’s biggest problem is that it did not have its own “Mao Zedong” and did not carry out the necessary social changes that must be experienced to build a modern country. For example, India has not experienced real land reform, and the majority of the population cannot become rich; India has not experienced real women's liberation, and the talents of half of the population cannot be brought into play; India has not experienced a real and deep-seated caste system. problem, so there is a permanent disconnect between the upper and lower classes of Indian society. It is impossible for such a country to unite and jointly respond to the new crown epidemic. How can it become a truly modern country?

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Party, we still return to the young Mao Zedong. In 1925, Mao Zedong, who was also a "post-90s generation" at the time, was wanted by Zhao Hengti, the governor of Hunan Province. He had to leave his hometown of Shaoshan to seek refuge in Guangzhou. When he passed by the Orange Island in Changsha, he was filled with emotion and wrote a famous poem: Desolate and lonely. ,Oh dear lord, who domains the fate of this world?

In the end, Chairman Mao himself answered this question: China must be independent, China must be liberated, and China's affairs must be decided by the Chinese people themselves.By arousing the people, the Communist Party of China has organized the people who were once "a mess" to realize that the people are the masters of the country, maximize the overall and long-term interests of the people, and realize that the Chinese people determine their own destiny. Therefore, we have ushered in the Chinese nation from the station A great leap from getting up to becoming rich to becoming strong!

Wu Xinwen:

"Ask the vast earth, who is responsible for the ups and downs?" The point of "earth" is very well grasped! Zhou Enlai, who had worked with Mao Zedong for a long time, pointed out when evaluating Mao Zedong: "Our leaders grow from the people, are closely related to the Chinese people, and are closely related to the land of China and Chinese society." In Mao Zedong There, the "land of China" is China's mountains and rivers, China's history and reality, and China's people.

After Marxism entered China, there has been a wrong ideological tendency, which is to dogmatize Marxism, always refer to Soviet Russia, blindly copy the words and sentences of Marxist classic writers, and regard the Soviet Russian revolutionary model as the norm. In January 1931, Wang Ming, who was promoted to the leadership of the Communist Party of China by Comintern representative Miff, proclaimed himself a "100% Bolshevik" and criticized Mao Zedong's correct line in the red base areas of the Soviet area, saying that "Marxism cannot emerge from the ravines." Claiming that the climax of the Chinese revolution is approaching, the Chinese revolution must take cities as the center, carry out urban armed riots, and then strive to achieve revolutionary victory first in one or several provinces.

In response to the erroneous tendency of Marxism to become dogmatic, Mao Zedong pointed out in the early 1930s: "Many people who have read the Marxist 'books' have become revolutionary traitors. Those illiterate workers can often grasp Marxism well. "The 'books' of Marxism must be studied, but they must be combined with the actual situation of our country."

On the eve of the founding of New China, Mao Zedong's attitude of seeking truth from facts and promoting the sinicization of Marxism became even more clear. He clearly pointed out: “If any idea is not connected with objective practical things, if it does not have the need for objective existence, and is not grasped by the people, even the best things, even Marxism-Leninism, will not work. ."

Later he realized that neither Marx nor Lenin had systematically discussed the construction of socialism in China and other Asian, African and Latin American countries, so he had to carry out his own exploration and creation. He emphasized: "The books of Marx and other ancestors must be read, and their basic principles must be observed. This is the first priority. However, the Communist Party of any country and the ideological circles of any country must create new theories and write new "Mao Zedong never had superstition, blind obedience, or copying of the theories and works of Marxist classic writers." He once said: "Thousands of years from now, looking at Marx will be like looking at Confucius now." Because of this, Mao Zedong wrote "On the Ten Major Relationships" and "On the Correct Handling of Internal Affairs among the People" during the period of socialist revolution and construction. "The Problem of Contradiction", "Where Do People's Correct Thoughts Come From?" " and other important works.

The century-old history of the Communist Party of China shows that the "weapon of criticism" of Sinicized Marxism and the "weapon of criticism" of applying Sinicized Marxism to China's reality have created a new situation in China's revolution, construction and reform. One of the secrets of our party’s continuous success after a hundred years of ups and downs. As a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionist, strategist and theorist, Mao Zedong was the founder, pioneer and promoter of the Sinicization of Marxism.

Moderator : In the entire revolutionary struggle of the Chinese Communists, a particularly important point is to perfectly integrate Marxism with China's actual situation. What inspiration does this have for our young friends?

Zhang Weiwei : Chairman Mao’s characteristic of being pragmatic and having lofty ideals. Earlier, I said that his theory of practice must be related to his personality. When I was young, I read Snow's "A Journey to the West", which included an interview with Mao Zedong. Mao Zedong talked about how he gradually believed in Marxism.He said that in 1919, he went to Shanghai to send a group of classmates to study in France. He had no money at that time and could only buy a ticket from Beijing to Tianjin, so he got on the train. He felt that the boat would naturally go straight to the bridge. After arriving there, he met an acquaintance and borrowed some money, bought a ticket to Nanjing, and also went to Qufu, Shandong, visited Confucius, and finally went to Shanghai. This was because he believed in studying things very much. "Doing" itself is related. Learn war in war and you will be able to swim when you jump into the water. There are relatively few foreigners in this aspect, but China has a very strong tradition.

During our reform and opening up, the central government had little money and fought its way out, so it began to boldly experiment, understand, practice, and understand again. As a result, many Marxisms were combined with Chinese practice, and many very original Marxisms were adapted to China. great results.

Moderator : Chairman Mao Zedong accepted Marxist thought when he was young, and finally found a path that is particularly suitable for China's development. What inspiration does this kind of gradualness and process have for our young friends?

Zhang Weiwei : Based on our current life, I personally feel that with the refinement of social development, the spirit of adventure is getting less and less. In fact, some truths and the right direction of life may emerge through the process of trial and error. , was not conceived theoretically first, I think this is an inspiration.

Looking at the entire country, it is not easy for a country to find a successful path. The Communist Party of China experienced Chen Duxiu's right leaning, Qu Qiubai's left leaning, Li Lisan's left leaning, Zhang Guotao's right leaning, and Wang Ming's left leaning, and finally realized Come up with a real truth. Reform and opening up has been a process of trial and error. The final enlightenment is not easy, so we must cherish it.

Wu Xinwen: Whether it is an individual or an organization, making mistakes and suffering setbacks are inevitable stages of growth, especially when you are doing something that has never been done before and you need to try new things, this is inevitable, but More importantly, what is your attitude towards mistakes? Whether you admit the mistake, try to find out what the problem is in the mistake, and correct it, or you should just cover it up and deny it, this is the key. I think a very important characteristic of our Communist Party is that it is the most frank party in the world that can admit that it has made mistakes, and strives to change this mistake. This is why it can continue to make progress and move forward. I want to personally Also like this.

asked : I am a 2020 master's student at the School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, and a member of the Spark Party Member Volunteer Service Team. It is a great honor that we received a reply letter from General Secretary Xi in June last year. In actual study work, how can students like us who are not majoring in related disciplines better learn the theoretical knowledge of Marxism and apply it to my actual work?

Zhang Weiwei : I think for most people, including our students and Fudan students, unless you are a Marxist major, you have to study a lot of details. For example, the "Communist Manifesto" has seven translated versions. What is the difference between a preface and so on. For most people, the main thing is to master Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods. If you are studying pharmacy, many of our science students talk about Marxism and philosophy very well. Look at Qian Xuesen talking about philosophy and Marxist philosophy. Very level.

His ideas are not exactly the same as those of liberal arts students, but his perspective on looking at problems has given liberal arts students like us a lot of new inspirations, because philosophy is a way of thinking. I remember what he wrote in "Fu Lei's Family Letter". Rentang listened to Chairman Mao's speech. Chairman Mao spoke for about an hour and a half. When he came back, he said, "It's amazing. Mr. Mao didn't mention Marx once, but all he talked about was Marxism."

So I think unless you want to become a major in Marxism, this is a choice. Maybe the more choice is to become interested in Marxist philosophy through Chen Wangdao. If you really get involved, you will become smarter as you learn.

Wu Xinwen : I have an idea that reading philosophy cannot be done by relying on books alone. You must learn philosophy in society.In society, you can understand this social reality, what materialism is, and understand contradictions, what real contradictions look like, and how they unfold. You must go to society to get a better understanding of this.

asked : I am Jie Shangfeng, a doctoral student in the history of the Communist Party of China. I remember the General Secretary once said, "If you choose to endure hardship in your youth, you will choose gain; if you choose dedication, you will choose nobility." This truth can also be seen from the experience of Mao Zedong you shared. On the other hand, society There is also a hot word in the Internet called "involution", which means that we are driven to work hard and make progress under the pressure of our peers. As a result, many people's time and energy, even passion and dreams are "involved", and they are not in the mood to do it. Dedication and nobility, what do you think of the "involution phenomenon" among young people?

Zhang Weiwei : The word "involution" is very academic. The English word is involution. I think if we go back to the original meaning of this word, we will be inspired. "Involution" is originally a sociological concept. The simplest example: let's say you are an artist, you are a painter, and you paint realism. As a result, the more you paint, the more realistic and detailed you are, exactly like a real person. The photos are exactly the same, but if you draw again at this time, they will start to curl inward.

Suddenly Fauvism, Impressionism, and Picasso appeared, opening up a new situation and jumping out of involution. Therefore, the involution of is due to the fierce internal competition in the original state. But if you change your thinking and paradigm, it will be different. . For us students, if you say that I must buy a house in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, it is very difficult now. I have more than 20 classmates in New York, all of whom belong to the middle class. No one has bought a house in Manhattan in the past 30 years. They all buy houses far away. I think we can consider a new paradigm, learn Mao Zedong Thought, open up our minds, and engage in mobile warfare instead of positional warfare. There are always more solutions than problems.

Wu Xinwen: I would like to add something. The current information society has a characteristic. Some terms and hot topics will be hyped in a short period of time, forming a very strong social impact. Sometimes it also amplifies social anxiety. Some people in China are now There is some kind of "involution" in the field, but it may not be as serious as what is said on the Internet.

I think there are many opportunities, and some situations are not necessarily "involution." For example, if a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fudan University teaches philosophy in a high school, I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. believes that a Ph.D. in philosophy from Fudan University must be As a university teacher, this is the "involution" of . Nowadays, philosophy education in our middle schools is a very promising career, so should be enlarged and focused on .

asked: I am a 2020 doctoral student in the School of Marxism. I have noticed a phenomenon. Looking at the early leaders and revolutionaries, they all have relatively good family backgrounds and educational backgrounds. If they comply with the social and political conditions at that time, their personal future development and living standards should be good. However, they chose the revolutionary path without hesitation. I would like to ask the two teachers what prompted them to choose such a revolutionary path and give up the personal fame and fortune that they already enjoyed and had at their fingertips? What implications does this have for our personal choices and development today?

Zhang Weiwei : The society at that time was too dark. The scene where Mao Zedong appeared in "The Age of Awakening" left a deep impression on me. At that time, the scene was full of beggars, humans and animals mixed together, and lepers held up begging bowls. The society was so unfair that even those with a little consciousness, not to mention people like Mao Zedong, had the idea of ​​transforming society. Later I read Snow's "My Thirteen Years in Old China". He wrote that he met Zhou Enlai and when the Kuomintang and the Communist Party started to organize the United Front of the War of Resistance, he said that Zhou Enlai told him that the Communist Party would definitely win and the Kuomintang would win. Lose power.

"Red Star Shines on China", also known as "The Journey to the West".Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Zhou Enlai gave a reason. He said that the Communist Party was in rural China at that time, especially in places like Jiangxi and Hunan. In any village, it could recruit hundreds of people at once, and in a county it could recruit thousands of people. The farmers are really, really poor. They have piles of dry firewood, just waiting for this spark. He said that the Communist Party understands our people and our farmers, but Chiang Kai-shek does not. So after this situation, he developed a strong motivation to change this society.

Today is really completely different. We all have been here before. We never thought that China would be as wealthy as it is today. Everyone can transform China and the world in their own field and with the same spirit, and use their own way to do something.

Wu Xinwen : We Chinese have a saying, "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world." This has become China's cultural gene and is also a gene inherited by the Communist Party. Philosophically speaking, when we live in this world, we need to have a sense of fulfillment and meaning in the sense of existence. When we are old and about to die, do we have any regrets when we look back on our lives? Do you have any regrets? Do you think you have worked hard? Have you ever struggled? What answer can you get to this torture of your own life? This is everyone’s question.

Zhang Weiwei : Let me say one more paragraph. Because you are from the School of Marxism, I would like to make a suggestion on how to turn our Marxist research into a vibrant cause. What I have seen from practical experience is that in many third world countries, including Africa, I went to Nepal two years ago. They are now governed by the Communist Party. They discuss many issues with us very frankly, and they also talk about Marx.

I noticed a detail. When many people in these countries look at China, their eyes are full of expectation, hoping that you will give them the truth. Sometimes some of our officials only talk in clichés, which I think is a pity. Marxism must speak in human terms, and talk about one’s own research experiences and experiences. When you go to Africa, many people look at you and wonder how to solve this poverty problem. I can't solve it. You give me an idea. You speak slowly and calmly. There are eight lessons in total. That won't work. I made a very realistic request, which is what President Xi has repeatedly said about telling China’s story well. This is also a new task. China's affairs are done well, and so is the entire community with a shared future for mankind.

asked : I am Yu Wenwen, a grade 20 undergraduate from the College of State Affairs, Fudan University. Some time ago, I noticed that the central bank published a working paper, which mentioned that one of the reasons why Southeast Asian countries have fallen into the middle-income trap is that there are too many liberal arts students. What do these two teachers think of this point of view?

Zhang Weiwei : I have visited almost all Southeast Asian countries and had many exchanges with their universities. I would like to talk about Southeast Asia first. Countries in Southeast Asia are very different. Some have relatively high education quality, such as Singapore, while others have relatively weak education quality. This is known to the international community.

The problem with liberal arts is that it is a commercial activity. It is easier to run a university with just liberal arts. Science and engineering require laboratories and a lot of funds. China has the advantage of being a big country. It can set up any major. It has various engineering universities and small schools. The country does not have this strength. So when it comes to the problem of too many liberal arts students in Southeast Asia, I can understand it. Although I don’t quite accept the concept of the middle-income trap, it is not very applicable to situations like China.

I am more cautious about the Western concept. We need to deconstruct it, because the middle-income trap may actually only be suitable for some specific situations and is not suitable for China. Our country is too big. I think this topic has aroused a certain response in China, probably because people generally hate public intellectuals, and most public intellectuals are liberal arts students, and very few are science and engineering majors.

Science and engineering majors respect facts, logic, and seek truth from facts.Why are there so many people studying liberal arts who are not confident and belittle China's own culture, history, and traditions? I personally think that in the past few decades, our humanities and social sciences have been too influenced by Western discourse, especially political science, journalism, law, economics, etc. I admit that we have not learned much from the humanities and social sciences introduced to the West. There are fewer things, but the price is also very high, which leads to poor storytelling of China, and it tends to move closer to the West, thinking that the West is the goal we want to achieve.

Now we ordinary people are awakened. There is such a big difference in epidemic prevention and control this time. Some people actually think that the Western system is excellent. Of course, the influence of these people is becoming smaller and smaller, especially our young people are becoming more and more confident. . The key is not whether there are more or fewer liberal arts students, but high quality. If the liberal arts, science, and engineering students trained by our universities were of high quality, we wouldn't feel this way. It would be great if we had first-class artistic works, first-class essayists, first-class poets, first-class musicians, and first-class film and television works.

Wu Xinwen: I think the idea that there are too many liberal arts students is a generalization, and generalizations are often problematic. We need to specifically analyze what kind of liberal arts students they are, what channels they use to train them, and what their own pursuits are. If they are all those who insist on being Western, and have learned some superficial theories from the West, they will think that they have the truth and morality. , and then China can be taught a lesson. The fewer such liberal arts students, the better. If liberal arts students can stand on the land of China and do practical things, then there are too few such liberal arts students, and we need to greatly replenish them.

asked : Hello teachers and host, I am Zhang Ao from the 2020 social science experimental class of the State Council. Francis Fukuyama's famous "end of history theory" was successfully refuted by Teacher Zhang on many occasions, and it is already a bankrupt theory. So in the process of studying party history, I have a hunch that our Chinese Can the glorious history of the Communist Party leading the people in united struggle also prove the end of some kind of history? In addition to our great success in fighting the epidemic, what kind of symbolic events do you think will happen to prove a new sense of victory? The end of history?

Zhang Weiwei : I think this epidemic prevention and control is a watershed. When we did this program last year, we said that it could not be China's "Chernobyl", but more likely to be the West's "Chernobyl" Bailey". I think of the first sentence of the "Communist Manifesto", "A specter of communism is lingering in Europe, and all European reactionary forces have formed a holy alliance to drive out this specter." Now it is a ghost of the Chinese model that is wandering in the West. The reactionary forces have formed some kind of alliance to drive out this ghost, but they are unable to do anything. They have passed the critical point and there is no other way. So the United States and the West are very upset right now.

You mentioned Fukuyama. I told him during the debate that the United States lacks some wisdom. You have fought so many wars, such as the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, the Vietnam War, etc., and you have won tactically but lost strategically. . Today you regard China as the target of the Cold War and find ways to encircle and suppress it. This is a huge strategic mistake. You should think differently, otherwise you will feel sorry.

asked: Hello teachers, students, and host, I am Li Boxuan, a 19th-grade graduate student from the School of Microelectronics. There are two questions to ask. The first is in the field of chip manufacturing and design. China is facing a strict technological blockade by capitalist countries led by the United States. How can we use Marxism to view and solve this problem?

The second question is that the October Revolution brought Marxism to China. Now that China is facing major changes unseen in a century, how can we bring Marxism to other countries in the world, such as Asia, Africa and Latin America, or to the people oppressed by the United States? Bring the path and method of sinicizing Marxism?

Zhang Weiwei : Let me give you a superficial view on the chip dispute. I have always said that if the United States sanctions us, it will also hit itself hard.These companies themselves are unwilling to fight out of interest. As Marxists, we analyze specific issues in detail and divide them into two. It will hurt us and it will also hurt them. Let’s see who can withstand this blow.

Personally, I am more optimistic about China. An important reason is that our People's Liberation Army, including some military industries, are really confident. Whatever the United States blocks, we can definitely produce it, and we can make it better than they do, and we have our own unique skills. This kind of self-confidence is very important. In fact, our practice has proven this, including the recent aerospace projects. Despite the US blockade, China can still do it, and there are some things that the United States cannot do yet. So I think that once we achieve a breakthrough, we must remember to give Trump a "Special Contribution Award." I am afraid that the United States is even more afraid of this matter. They know that the Chinese have this energy.

The second issue is the spread of Chinese Marxism. In fact, the West has used their media to portray China as so backward, dark, genocidal, etc. I have always advocated that our Internet should be liberalized. There is no need to talk about politics, just use your mobile phone. Pay, girls can walk on the road at 12 o'clock in the evening, and when these daily life spreads, showing a life version of socialism with Chinese characteristics will shock them. We don’t talk about spreading Chinese Marxism to the United States, because we are determined not to impose the Chinese model on others, but introducing an objective China to them can shock them.

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