of relative stability were also interspersed within the turmoil of the
Cultural Revolution. The observation of Oksenberg ( 1977 ) is corrob-
orated by Li’s ( 1994 ) narration of Mao’s life. The motivation behind
Mao’s method of dialectical development is interpreted by some
scholars as his aim of accomplishing the communist utopia (e.g. Chen
and Yang, 1992 ;Yu, 1995 ), but by others as his desire to consolidate
personal power by expurgating opposition (e.g. Li, 1994 ).
‘‘Serve the people’’
‘‘Serve the people’’ may be a third principle in Mao’s leadership
philosophy. Even in his childhood, Mao wished to do something great
for the oppressed Chinese people. The basic motivation behind Mao’s
revolutionary efforts was to liberate the Chinese people, the bulk of
whom are peasants. He realized that, in order to liberate the Chinese
people, the Chinese peasantry must be liberated (Yu, 1995 ). Orthodox
Marxism, however, espouses the Communist party’s dependence on
the class of workers residing in major urban areas (instead of the
peasantry in rural areas) as the revolutionary backbone. To help
persuade the young CCP to revise orthodox Marxism to fit it with
Chinese reality, Mao wrote ‘‘Report on an investigation of the peasant
movement in Hunan’’ (Mao,1954a) and ‘‘On practice’’ (Mao,1954a).
Although these works proposed the principle of ‘‘seeking truth from
facts’’ to help field the pressure from the Soviet Union’s orthodox
Marxism (see, for instance, Gorman, 1982 ), Mao’s primary motiv-
ation and concern was the success of the Chinese revolution and the
liberation of the Chinese people.
On September 8, 1944, in memory of Chang Si-de, a soldier in
the Guards Regiment of the Central Committee of the Chinese
Communist Party who died on active duty, Mao wrote ‘‘Serve the
people.’’ Citing the Ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, Mao said
that although death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than
Mount Tai or lighter than a feather, and that to die for the people is
weightier than Mount Tai. He went on to say that the Chinese people
were suffering; it was the Party’s duty to save them; the Party must
have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority
at heart, and when the death is for the people, it is a worthy one.
In his writing of March 1957 (Mao, 1957 ), Mao criticized
cadres whose spirit to serve the people had declined. He emphasized
214 Xin-an Lu and Jie Lu