Serve the People
Encyclopedia
"Serve the People" or "Service for the People" is a political slogan which first appeared in Mao
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...

-era China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. It originates from the title of a speech by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...

, delivered on September 8, 1944. The slogan was also widely used in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 by students and youth during the Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...

 movement of the late 1960's and 1970's. The slogan was very popular due to the strong Maoist influence on the New Left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...

, considerably amongst the Red Guard Party, the Black Panther Party
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....

, and the Yellow Brotherhood of West Los Angeles.

Origins

Mao Zedong wrote this speech to commemorate the death of a PLA Soldier, Zhang Side
Zhang Side
Zhang Side was a soldier of the People's Liberation Army.He was born in Yilong County, Sichuan Province and served as a soldier of the People's Liberation Army of the Second United Front during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He joined the military in December 1933 serving in a variety of posts and...

, a participant in the Long March
Long March
The Long March was a massive military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China, the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the Kuomintang army. There was not one Long March, but a series of marches, as various Communist armies in the south...

 who died in the collapse of a kiln. In the speech he quoted a phrase written by the famous Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

 historian Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...

, "Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." (“人固有一死,或重于泰山,或轻于鸿毛。”). 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 concept of "Serving the People", together with other slogans such as "Never benefit oneself, always benefit others" and "Tireless struggle" became core principles of the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...


Role During Cultural Revolution

During the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...

, the speech was widely read. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976...

 was frequently seen wearing a pin emblazoned with the slogan "Serve the People" next to a portrait of Mao Zedong.

Ceremonial Role

Although less often used in China today, the slogan still plays some important ceremonial roles. It is inscribed on the screen wall facing the front entrance of the Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai is an area in central Beijing, China adjacent to the Forbidden City which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The term Zhongnanhai is closely linked with the central government and senior Communist...

 compound, which houses the headquarters of the Central People's Government
Central People's Government
The Central People's Government is the central government of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. According to the 1982 Constitution, "Central People's Government" is synonymous with the State Council.-History:...

 and the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...

.

During inspection of troops in the People's Liberation Army
People's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

, the following ceremonial exchange is carried out:
Inspecting official: "Greetings, Comrades!" ( tóng zhì men hǎo)
Troops: "Greetings, Leader!" ( shǒu zhǎng hǎo)
Inspecting official: "Comrades [you] have worked hard." ( tóng zhì men xīn kǔ le)
Troops: "Serving the people!" ( wèi rén mín fú wù)

Cultural Role

Today, In some parts of the West, the slogan is often seen in fashion accessories like Mao-era style schoolbags. But for other countries, the slogan is a reminder of struggles with Maoist insurgencies. In 2007, actress Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...

 caused a minor controversy by carrying a bag with the "Serve the People" slogan in Chinese on a tour of Peru. Peruvians, who were terrorized by the Shining Path
Shining Path
Shining Path is a Maoist guerrilla terrorist organization in Peru. The group never refers to itself as "Shining Path", and as several other Peruvian groups, prefers to be called the "Communist Party of Peru" or "PCP-SL" in short...

 Movement in the 1980s and early 1990s, felt the bag to be show of support for the Maoist movement.

Writer Yan Lianke
Yan Lianke
Yan Lianke is a Chinese writer of novels and short stories based in Beijing. His work is highly satirical, which has resulted in some of his most renowned works being banned....

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.

External links

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