{{Short description|Chinese Communist Party political slogan}} {{other uses}} {{redirect|Wei Renmin Fuwu|the film|The Candidate (1998 film){{!}}''The Candidate'' (1998 film)}}{{Chinese | s = {{linktext|为|人民|服务}} | t = {{linktext|為|人民|服務}} | p = wèi rénmín fúwù | pic = 新华门 - panoramio.jpg | piccap = The inscription of the slogan displayed at the entrance of [[Xinhuamen|Xinhua Gate]] in front of [[Zhongnanhai]], written by [[Mao Zedong]] }} "'''Serve the People'''" is a [[political slogan]] and the motto of the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), originating from the title of a speech by [[Mao Zedong]], delivered in September 1944.
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]].
== Development == [[Mao Zedong]] wrote the speech ''Serve the People'' 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|Shaanxi province]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=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". 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Han |first1=Dongping |date=2008 |title=The Unknown Cultural Revolution: Life and Change in a Chinese Village |publisher=[[Monthly Review Press]] |publication-place=New York |isbn=978-1-58367-180-1 }}</ref>{{Rp|page=66}} It states that the CCP and its [[Cadre system of the Chinese Communist Party|cadres]] should not be afraid of criticism, and if criticism is correct, they should accept it and revise their behavior accordingly.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=66}} It also states that everyone in the revolutionary ranks is equal regardless of title or position.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=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|On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People]].''<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=115}}
{{Quotebox | quote = Our Communist Party and the Eighth Route and New Fourth Armies led by our Party are battalions of the revolution. These battalions of ours are wholly dedicated to the liberation of the people and work entirely in the people's interests. Comrade Chang Szu-teh was in the ranks of these battalions.
All men must die, but death can vary in its significance. The ancient Chinese writer [[Sima Qian|Szuma Chien]] said, "Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." 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|Chang Szu-teh]] died for the people, and his death is indeed weightier than Mount Tai.
If we have shortcomings, we are not afraid to have them pointed out and criticized, '''because we serve the people.''' Anyone, no matter who, may point out our shortcomings. If he is right, we will correct them. If what he proposes will benefit the people, we will act upon it. The idea of "better troops and simpler administration" was put forward by Mr. Li Ting-ming, who is not a Communist. He made a good suggestion which is of benefit to the people, and we have adopted it. If, in the interests of the people, we persist in doing what is right and correct what is wrong, our ranks will surely thrive. | author = — Mao Zedong, Memorial meeting for Comrade [[Zhang Side]], September 8, 1944 | source = <ref>{{cite web |title=SERVE THE PEOPLE |url=https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_19.htm |website=[[Marxists Internet Archive]] |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=17 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117131557/https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_19.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | align = center }}
== Mao era == During the [[Third Front (China)|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.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last1=Meyskens |first1=Covell F. |date=2020 |title=Mao's Third Front: The Militarization of Cold War China |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-108-78478-8 }}</ref>{{Rp|page=94}}
During the [[Cultural Revolution]], the speech was widely read and people were encouraged to memorize it.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=66}} Its messages had the effect of serving as a code of conduct which ordinary people could use to hold officials accountable.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|pages=66–67}}
=== Outside China === 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]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Elbaum |first1=Max |author-link1=Max Elbaum |date=2002 |title=Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che |title-link=Revolution in the Air |language=en |publisher=Verso |isbn=978-1-85984-617-9 }}</ref>
== Contemporary uses == The slogan of serving the people reflects the influence of the Maoist principle of the [[mass line]].<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=43}}
The speech ''Serve the People'' was among the texts which all Party cadres were required to study in 2005-2006 through the "Maintain the Advanced Nature of the Communist Party" campaign implemented by [[Hu Jintao]].<ref name=":12322">{{Cite book |last=Ji |first=Fengyuan |title=The Communist Party of China: Understanding the Durability of the World's Most Powerful Political Organization |date=2025 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-1-009-66843-9 |editor-last=Hillman |editor-first=Ben |edition= |location=New York |chapter=Language, Discourse, and Hegemony |doi=10.1017/9781009668385 |editor-last2=Ji |editor-first2=Fengyuan}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=89}}
=== Ceremonial role === [[File:中山大學南門牌坊正面.JPG|thumb|The slogan displayed at [[Sun Yat-sen University]]]] [[File:20260515_"Serve_the_People",_Nanzhuang_Village,_Changdao.jpg|thumb|A slogan in Nanzhuang Village, Changdao, Shandong. There is also a portrait of Mao Zedong on this wall.]] The slogan is inscribed in the calligraphy of Mao himself, on the screen wall facing the front entrance of the [[Zhongnanhai]] compound, which serves as the headquarters for the senior party leadership and houses the offices of the [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]], [[Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|Politburo Standing Committee]] and the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], together composing the most powerful offices in the PRC.
Since 1984, during inspections of troops in the [[People's Liberation Army]], the following ceremonial exchange is carried out: : Inspecting official: "Hello, Comrades!" ({{lang-zh|s=同志们好|p=tóng zhì men hǎo|labels=no}}) : Troops: "Greetings, Chief [''or'' Chairman]!"{{NoteTag|The greeting {{lang|zh-Hans|首长好}} ("Greetings, Chief!") was traditionally used by ''all'' leaders during troop inspections since Chairman Mao's era. However, since 2017, a distinguished {{lang|zh|主席好}} ("Greetings, Chairman!") has been used when [[Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)|Chairman of the Central Military Commission]] [[Xi Jinping]] is inspecting.}}<ref>{{cite news |author1=<!-- not stated --> |date=1 July 2017 |script-title=zh:改慣例「首長好」變「主席好 |url=http://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20170701/20074938 |work=[[Apple Daily]] |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624071650/http://hk.news.appledaily.com/local/daily/article/20170701/20074938 |archive-date=24 June 2019 |access-date=24 June 2019 }}</ref> ({{lang-zh|s=首长 [主席] 好|p=shǒu zhǎng [zhǔ xí] hǎo|labels=no}}) : Inspecting official: "Comrades, you have worked hard!" ({{lang-zh|s=同志们辛苦了|p=tóng zhì men xīn kǔ le!|labels=no}}) : Troops: "'''[We] Serve the people!'''" ({{lang-zh|s=为人民服务!|p=wèi rén mín fú wù!|labels=no}})
=== 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]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Davis |first1=Caris |title=Cameron Diaz Apologizes for Fashion Faux Pas |date=25 June 2007 |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20043642,00.html |work=[[People (magazine)|People]] |url-status=unfit |archive-date=22 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122190600/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20043642,00.html |access-date=28 April 2010 }}</ref>
In 2005, author [[Yan Lianke]] wrote a satirical novel set during the Cultural Revolution titled [[Serve the People! (novel)|''Serve the People!'']] about an affair between the wife of a military officer and a peasant soldier.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Toy |first1=Mary-Anne |date=28 July 2007 |title=A pen for the people |url=https://www.theage.com.au/technology/a-pen-for-the-people-20070728-ge5gbc.html |website=[[The Age]] |language=en-AU |url-status=live |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330014147/https://www.theage.com.au/technology/a-pen-for-the-people-20070728-ge5gbc.html |access-date=7 April 2026 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Schillinger |first1=Liesl |date=4 May 2008 |title=Kissing the Cook |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/books/review/Schillinger-t.html |url-access=limited |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-date=30 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330014143/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/books/review/Schillinger-t.html |access-date=7 April 2026 }}</ref>
[[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."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Marquis |first1=Christopher |last2=Qiao |first2=Kunyuan |date=2022 |title=Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |isbn=978-0-300-26883-6 |location=New Haven |doi=10.2307/j.ctv3006z6k }}</ref>{{Rp|page=9}} The conglomerate [[Hengtong|Hengtong Group]] characterizes its business mission as "Serve the people and devote to the society," also a reference to Mao's speech.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=56}}
== See also == * [[Servant of the People]] * [[Community service]] * [[Median voter theorem]] * [[Public service]] * [[Volunteerism]] * [[Three Old Articles (China)]]
== Notes == {{NoteFoot}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * Mao Zedong, ''[https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/mao/selected-works/volume-3/mswv3_19.htm Serve the People]'' (1944)
[[Category:Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party]] [[Category:National mottos]] [[Category:Military mottos]] [[Category:Chinese political catchphrases]] [[Category:1944 quotations]]