To Advance Further or to Preserve the Title of “Advanced?”
By Cheng Shang-yu, Shanghai Direct Current Motor Plant
Under the guidance of Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line, our plant has since 1968 made some achievements in revolution and production and accumulated some experience in the struggle-criticism-transformation movement. Thus the question arose of correct attitude towards our leadership's commendation and the publicity by press and radio. From the leaders to the masses at the plant there were different views and attitudes.
Several comrades said self-complacently, “Just turn on the radio and you'll hear about our plant's achievements. We're already known over half the globe!”
Others are more cautious. They say, “From now on, we should watch our step in our work. And we should be very careful what we say when we go out, because it will carry a lot of weight.”
But most comrades very much wanted to continue the revolution, that is, they wanted conscientiously to sum up our work, carry forward what was good and overcome what was bad. In line with the fighting tasks set by the Ninth Party Congress, they have further unfolded the mass movement for the living study and application of Mao Tsetung Thought and are continuing the struggle energetically.
As soon as complacency crops up it meets with the masses' criticism: “Don't get the swell-head or you'll trip and fall!” As for over-cautiousness, not a few think the idea well-based and say: “What's wrong with wanting to preserve the title of 'advanced plant'?” After careful analysis, however, it was felt that the complacent and conceited want to rest on their laurels, not wishing to progress further. And those who stand for preserving the title of “advanced” are satisfied with their past records and dare not go on. Both view the masses' successes, scored under the leadership of Chairman Mao, as private property and not as a starting point for continuing the revolution. Thus there was no essential difference between the two ideas.
Were we to preserve the title of “advanced” or advance further? To act on the spirit of the Ninth Party Congress, from masses to leadership in the plant held discussions on this question, and after these the answer was clear.
Advanced and backward exist on in comparison with each other. Without the advanced there would be no backward, and vice versa. The advanced and backward are like all opposites: “... in given conditions, on the one hand they are opposed to each other, and on the other they are interconnected, interpenetrating, interpermeating and interdependent” and moreover, “The matter does not end with their dependence on each other for their existence; what is more important is their transformation into each other.” That is to say, the advanced and the backward are not static and unchangeable. The advanced can change into the backward and the backward can become the advanced.
Preserving the title of “advanced” or progressing further is in fact a struggle between the two world outlooks. One is a metaphysical concept, of not recognizing contradictions or of evading them in an effort to cover them up and hold fast to the title of “advanced.” But contradictions cannot be covered up, and the result of holding on to the “advanced” will only mean to hang onto backwardness.
The other concept is the materialist dialectical viewpoint or recognizing contradictions, mobilizing the masses to actively resolve them and bring about a revolutionary transformation in things, to make further progress in the course of uninterruptedly resolving contradictions.
Out plant has gained profound understanding from experience. After the plant's revolutionary committee was set up in December 1967, we closely followed Chairman Mao's great strategic plan and succeeded in both revolution and production for several months in succession. If we had acted according to the viewpoint of preserving the title of “advanced,” we could have sat back and taken a rest. At that time there were some comrades who did not stand for actively going ahead. But we resolutely criticized the thinking of the lazy and timid to mark time as expressed in the saying: “It's risky out ahead and dangerous behind, the middle course is the safest.” Having found where we lagged behind, we continued closely following Chairman Mao's great strategic plan. As soon as a new instruction of Chairman Mao was issued, we studied it into the night and carried it out promptly. We ran Mao Tsetuing Thought study classes of various types continually, filling the atmosphere with proletarian politics and bringing into full play the revolutionary initiative of the people.
After the battle to purify the class ranks began, victories followed one another and the masses were in high spirits. It was necessary at this time to pay special attention to carrying out Party policies. To follow the viewpoint of preserving the title of “advanced” was tantamount to saying: “Wait! Don't try to outdo others; play safe.” We did not go by this conservative philosophy, but acted in accordance with what Chairman Mao often taught us. The plant's leaders at every level went among the masses, studied the Party's policies together with them, gave full play to proletarian democratic centralism, combined the leadership with the masses, strictly distinguished between the two kinds of contradictions different in nature and adhered firmly to the Party's policy: “The target of attack should be narrowed and more people helped through education.” subsequently the work of purifying the class ranks went more soundly.
The history of our plant tells us that the title of “advanced” is not won by “preserving,” but is created by applying Mao Tsetung Thought. Hanging on to a title means forgetting how it was won and losing that most precious proletarian revolutionary spirit which accounts for becoming an advanced unit.
This was true of the past and also applies to the present. Take the situation in our plant. Now it is an advanced unit only when compared with its past backwardness and with units which are at present less advanced. Compared with many other advanced units and in the light of the rapidly developing revolutionary situation, our plant is fairly backward. Even compared with units which are temporarily lagging behind, we are not up to them in many respects, for they also have their advanced side. We still have a way to go if we measure ourselves in terms of the militant tasks set by the Ninth Party Congress and the historic mission of “the abolition of the system of exploitation of man by man over the whole globe, upon which all mankind will be emancipated” that has fallen upon the shoulders of the proletariat. With our little success, how absurd to talk about wanting to preserve the title of “advanced!”
Conditions in the plant's departments vary and constantly change. One of our workshops was advanced some time ago, but now it is comparatively backward. Another workshop which was backward is now advanced. Why and how do such changes take place? The answer lies in the difference between “go ahead” and “rest on one's laurels.” Because an advanced unit is praised a lot it tries to keep the title by playing safe. The result is that instead of saying “advanced,” it falls behind. A backward unit, on the other hand, strives to go forward, and when it boldly creates according to Chairman Mao's instructions, a revolutionary change takes place and the backward outstrips the advanced. The broad masses demand advance in big strides, but you want to hang onto the title of “advanced” by standing still. Impossible! Making time means adapting to the backward and suppressing the truly advanced. When a certain point is reached, the masses are bound to break through your restrictions and continue to march ahead bravely along Chairman Mao's proletarian revolutionary line.
Viewed from the law of class struggle, the problem of whether to go forward or preserve the title of “Advanced” is one of whether to take the initiative and launch the offensive in the proletariat's struggle against the bourgeoisie.
“The tree may prefer calm, but the wind will not subside.” Class struggle is an objective reality independent of man's will. Our proletarian class is the greatest and most revolutionary class in the history of mankind. Like the tree, we cannot remain calm but should be active, like the wind. We should firmly grasp the initiative in class struggle. Let the strong East Wind of Mao Tsetung Thought prevail everywhere! If you do not grasp class struggle, or even forget that class struggle exists, because you want to keep on being known as “advanced,” you will be playing into the hands of the bourgeoisie and the handful of class enemies. Not to take the initiative in attacking the class enemies means to give up the position to them and provide them with good leeway for their activities. Not long ago, precisely because some comrades in certain sections of our plant, satisfied with the title of “advanced,” began to slow down and fail to grasp the essential, a handful of class enemies took advantage of the situation and became active. Some sprang out openly to make trouble, while others tried to incite anarchism secretly. The enemy never forgets to attack to proletariat. The more you fear contradictions, the more contradictions will appear. If a peaceful life is what you want, you'll find no peace anywhere.
On the basis of conscientiously summing up the work at the previous stage, we launched recently a study campaign to deepen our understanding of the documents of the Ninth Party Congress. Giving prominence to proletarian politics we actively and ceaselessly attack the handful of class enemies and incisively criticize the bourgeoisie. At the same time we firmly grasp the ideological revolutionization of the leading group and criticize non-proletarian ideas including complacence, slackness and satisfaction with things as they are. We strictly maintain the system of cadre participation in socialist productive labour and strive to establish the world outlook of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. We hold regular meetings at the plant to exchange experience in the living study and application of Chairman Mao's theory of continuing the revolution under the dictatorship of the proletariat. We spread the advanced ideas, deeds and experience of the masses so that the backward can catch up with the advanced and the advanced can advance further. The result is a lively situation in both revolution and production throughout the plant.
Our discussions and practice lead to this common conclusion: To progress further is to continue the revolution, and to preserve the title of “advanced” is to put the brakes on revolution. Seeking to be advanced is certainly not the aim of us proletarian revolutionary fighters. Our aim is to carry forward the Chinese revolution and the world revolution. Therefore, what we want is to go ahead and not to rest on our laurels.
