Yan Lianke - Serve the People!

`Liu Lian,' Wu Dawang replied. `Fifteen years ago, when her husband was in charge of my Division, I was the Orderly in their house.'

`Do the Commander and his wife know you're coming?'

How else would I have got through the main gate?'

Retreating into his sentry box, the soldier picked up the phone to ring the Commander's house. 'Tell Liu Lian that my name is Wu Dawang and that I'm waiting at the gate,' Wu Dawang added. After a short exchange, the sentry replaced the receiver and came back out. Looking Wu Dawang up and down a couple of times, he pushed open the iron gate and passed through the courtyard into the building, leaving Wu Dawang to wait outside. Because of the compound's size, its protective shield of trees and the soft, heavy falling of the snow, Wu Dawang felt enveloped by a curious sense of stillness, far from the commotion of the city. Under the gloomy, ashen sky-a whirling mass of snowflakes-his head and coat were quickly covered in a fine white down. Just as he was starting to feel the cold, the gaunt sentry re-emerged and passed him a sealed envelope. 'Aunt Liu's having her hair done so she can't invite you in,' he reported, 'but she said if there was anything you needed you should write it on the letter and she'll sort it out.'

Opening the envelope, a bewildered Wu Dawang found two terse lines:

If there's something you need my help with, say what it is underneath. If it's moneyyou want, write the amount and the address to send it to.

From the gate Wu Dawang stared reproachfully at the front door. As the snow continued to fly about him, he folded up the letter, placed it back inside the envelope, and felt inside his coat for a stiff rectangular object-half an inch thick, a few inches wide, just over a foot long — wrapped in red silk, like a limited edition gift box of cigarettes. `Just give this to Liu Lian,' he said, handing it to the sentry.

And then he turned and walked away, vanishing into the snow.

THIS SPEECH WAS DELIVERED BY Comrade Mao Zedong on 8 September 1944, at a meeting held by the departments reporting directly to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, to honour the memory of Comrade Zhang Side.

Our Communist Party, and the Eighth Route and New Fourth Armies led by our Party, are battalions of the revolution totally devoted to the liberation of the people and working entirely in the interests of the people. Comrade Zhang Side served in the ranks of these battalions.

All men must die one day, but not all deaths have the same significance. The ancient Chinese writer Sima Oian said, `Though it is certain all men must die, some deaths carry more weight than Mount Tai, while others carry less weight than a feather.' To die for the cause of the people carries more weight than Mount Tai, but to waste one's energy in the service of the fascists and to die for the exploiters and the oppressors carries less weight than a feather. Comrade Zhang Side died serving the interests of the people, and his death carries more weight than Mount Tai.

We serve the people and therefore, if we have shortcomings, we are not afraid to have them pointed out and criticized. Any individual, whoever it may be, can point out our shortcomings. If he is right, we will correct ourselves. If what he proposes is beneficial to the people, we will act upon it. The suggestion to have `fewer but better troops and a simplified administration' was made by Mr. Li Dingming, who is not a Communist. This was a good idea, it was beneficial to the people, so we adopted it. If, in the interests of the people, we persevere in doing what is right and in correcting what is wrong, everyone in our ranks will thrive.

We hail from all corners of our country and have gathered here with one common revolutionary objective in mind. The vast majority of people need to come with us on the road to this objective. Today we already have operations bases covering areas with a population of ninety-one million people, but this is not enough; we need a greater network of bases if we are to liberate the whole nation. In difficult times our comrades must not lose sight of our successes, they must recognize our bright future, and must pluck up their courage. The Chinese people are suffering and it is our duty to save them; we will need to use all our might and main in this struggle. Now, when there is struggle there is sacrifice: death is a common occurrence. As we have taken to heart the interests of the people and the suffering of the great majority of the people, to die for the people is to give that death real significance. Nevertheless, we must keep unnecessary sacrifices to a minimum. Our officers must be mindful of every soldier, and every member of every revolutionary battalion must look after each other, and must love and help each other.

From now on, when anyone in our ranks dies, whether he be a cook or a soldier, if he has done anything useful at all, his funeral should be held at a meeting to honour his memory. This should become the rule. And this practice should also be introduced among the people. When someone dies in a village, let a meeting be held in his memory. In this way, by expressing our sorrow, we will be serving to unite all the people.