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On September 1, 1964, Chen Lian, a student at the Central Conservatory of Music, wrote a letter to Mao Zedong, reflecting some problems in the teaching and performance of the conservatory. Mao Zedong made a comment, affirming the letter and instructing to solve the problems she raised. It was in this comment that Mao Zedong proposed the literary and artistic policy of "making use of the past for the present and making use of foreign things for China".

Background of the letter

Under what circumstances did Chen Lian write a letter to Mao Zedong?

In 1964, Chen Lianzheng was a sophomore in the Music Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. She was concerned about national affairs, loved to think about problems, and enjoyed discussing with teachers and classmates. She was very interested in the revolutionary modern drama that was emerging at the time, and often had heated conversations with classmates on some literary and artistic issues, and was very excited. She was thinking: The Peking Opera world has seen an unprecedented new atmosphere and is at the forefront of the literary and artistic revolution. What should the music world do?

At this time, from June 5 to July 31, 1964, the National Peking Opera Modern Drama Performance Conference was held in Beijing. 28 troupes from 19 provinces, cities and autonomous regions came to Beijing one after another and performed 37 new plays, including "The Fire in the Reeds", "The Red Lantern", "The Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Regiment", "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", "Red Sister-in-law", "Dino" and "The Red Detachment of Women". Premier Zhou Enlai personally directed the performance conference and delivered an important speech, highly praising the great achievements of the Peking Opera Revolution. Mao Zedong watched "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" on July 17, "The Fire in the Reeds" on July 23, "The Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Regiment" on August 10, and "Red Sister-in-law" on August 12. After each performance, he happily went on stage to meet the actors and took photos. These situations were broadcast and published in newspapers as important news the next day. At the same time, "Red Flag" and "People's Daily" both published editorials, warmly cheering the brilliant achievements of the literary and artistic revolution marked by the Peking Opera Revolution.

◆On July 23, 1964, after watching the modern Peking Opera "Fire in the Reeds" performed by the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe in the Great Hall of the People, Mao Zedong met with actors Zhao Yanxia, ​​Tan Yuanshou and others.

Chen Lian was lucky enough to watch some performances, listen to the radio, and read the editorials. She was so excited that she could hardly sleep. At the same time, it prompted her to repeatedly think about the future of music and the current situation of the academy. Many questions popped up in her mind, which puzzled her: Why is the drama revolution so vigorous, but the music world is so quiet? Why has the drama achieved such great results in reflecting reality, while the academy's textbooks and classrooms are filled with a large number of foreign and ancient repertoires and lack the flavor of the times? Does this situation meet the requirements of Premier Zhou's "three transformations" (revolutionary, popular, and national) in literature and art?

After a period of thinking, her thoughts became clear and she found a solution. She wanted to write a letter to Mao Zedong to reflect the problems existing in the college and her own views. She hoped that music education would also be revolutionized to keep up with this new situation.

At first, Chen Lian planned to unite several classmates with the same views and write a joint letter to Mao Zedong. Later, she talked about this with her mother Meng Qiyu. Her mother was an old comrade in the news front during the Yan'an period. She joined the party in 1938 and was one of the first announcers of Xinhua Radio. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she served as an editorial committee member of the Central Broadcasting Bureau and director of the Children's Department. In 1957, she participated in the preparation and construction of my country's first television station, Beijing Television (the predecessor of CCTV), and later served as deputy director. With her many years of political experience, Meng Qiyu talked to her daughter Chen Lian about two points of opinion: First, you can write a letter to Mao Zedong, but the content must be realistic and the views cannot be extreme; second, don't do a "joint letter", write in your own name, and be responsible for the text. Chen Lian accepted her mother's opinion. After repeated thinking and revision, and soliciting the opinions of several trustworthy teachers and classmates, she finally wrote a letter to Mao Zedong on September 1, 1964.

Chen Lian said in the letter that due to long-term, large-scale, and uncritical study of Western bourgeois music culture, bourgeois ideology has had a profound impact on the teachers and students of our college. Chen Lian specifically talked about four situations: some students have vague political views, do not love the workers, peasants and soldiers, and are unwilling to perform for them, saying that they cannot understand; various individualistic learning purposes, some students say: "The profession of music is the most sacred", "Piano is the king of music", and some students dream of participating in international competitions and winning awards; some people are obsessed with Western music, despise national music, and have resistance to the revolutionization, nationalization, and massization of music; Western European music and novels have a very serious impact on students' thoughts, feelings, and lifestyle. The letter gave an example: A classmate from a peasant family in the middle school affiliated to the Conservatory of Music listened to Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique Symphony" and did not understand it at first, but later read related books and biographies, and then listened again, and "understood". He also related it to himself, saying that especially when he encountered difficulties and his life was not going well, he would cry while listening to "Pathetique" to seek relief. The letter believes that the reason for the above problems is that the school only teaches inheritance but not criticism, or in other words, "criticize in the abstract and inherit in the concrete." She strongly demands that these problems be solved in order to achieve a new life for music.

Mao Zedong's instructions

Chen Lian's letter was not delivered to Mao Zedong at first. Instead, the secretariat of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee published a summary of the letter in the 79th issue of "Mass Reflection" published on September 16, 1964, with the title "Opinions on the Central Conservatory of Music". Mao Zedong saw the summary of Chen Lian's letter in this issue and thought that the letter was well written and in line with the general direction of the socialist education movement he was leading at the time. On September 27, Mao Zedong decided to refer the issues reflected in the letter to Lu Dingyi, who was in charge of ideology. So he happily wrote the following instructions to Lu Dingyi, Secretary of the Central Secretariat and Minister of the Propaganda Department, in a blank space of this publication (not on the letter paper):

Comrade Dingyi:

Please read this letter. The letter is well written and the problem should be solved. However, we should adopt the method of soliciting opinions from the masses, discuss among teachers and students first, and collect opinions.

Mao Zedong

September 27

Make use of the past for the present and make use of the foreign for the Chinese.

This letter expresses the opinions of one group of people, and many people may not agree with it.

Obviously, Mao Zedong emotionally agreed with the basic viewpoints of this letter. Therefore, he thought that this letter was "well-written" and that "the problem should be solved", and pointed out the solution: to follow the mass line. However, on the other hand, he always advocated that the Chinese and foreign literary and artistic heritage should be critically inherited and borrowed. He opposed both wholesale Westernization and blind worship of foreign things, and the total negation of foreign culture and xenophobia; he required differentiated treatment and dialectical unity of criticism and inheritance. From "On New Democracy" and "Speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art" to "Talks with Music Workers" in 1956, Mao Zedong talked about how to correctly treat the issue of Chinese and foreign cultural heritage, which was very insightful and systematic. Therefore, while affirming that this letter opposed worship of foreign things and ancient things, he also thought about the correct treatment of the issue of ancient Chinese and foreign literary and artistic heritage, so he specially added the concise principle of "making use of the ancient for the present and making use of the foreign for China", advocating that the ancient and foreign cultures should still be used as references for creating new literature and art; instead of completely denying and refusing to learn from and use them. At the same time, Mao Zedong was also well aware that this issue was complicated, people had different views, and "there might be many people who disagree."

This instruction written by Mao Zedong to Lu Dingyi has long been included in the Selected Letters of Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong's Manuscripts after the Founding of the People's Republic of China, and Mao Zedong's Collection of Literary Theories. Now, people put together Mao Zedong's inscription "Let a hundred flowers bloom, bring forth the new through the old" (first published in Tianjin Daily on September 28, 1952) for the establishment of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera in April 1951, and the instruction "Make use of the past for the present, and make use of foreign things for China" (first published in boldface in the editorial "Hail the Great Victory of the Peking Opera Revolution" in the sixth issue of Red Flag, reprinted by People's Daily on June 17, 1967), as Mao Zedong's complete literary and artistic thought (also known as the "sixteen-character policy") on ancient Chinese and foreign cultural heritage and the development of new literature and art, and apply it to literary and artistic work, literary and artistic research, and art teaching.

◆Mao Zedong’s handwriting on the Hundred Flowers Policy.

The reason why Mao Zedong made instructions on a letter from a student of the Conservatory of Music was fundamentally that the questions and views raised by the student were in line with Mao Zedong's strategic thinking on the domestic and international political struggles at that time, as well as his views on how to inherit the Chinese and foreign literary and artistic heritage. In addition, there is another reason that is not widely known to the society: On the evening of December 31, 1963, the Central Conservatory of Music was summoned, and dozens of outstanding singing and performing teachers and students led by Zhao Xun went to Zhongnanhai to perform for the central leaders. Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and other national leaders listened to the performances and singing, and praised them. When Mao Zedong talked cordially with teachers and students, he said that some people said that foreign songs were not good to listen to. I listened to Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody" played by Liu Shikun and thought it was very nice. He also asked Liu if he could express "Kinmen artillery"? Can he play drama tunes on the piano? Mao Zedong was very happy after listening to the pipa music "Ten Sides of Ambush" and "Send Me a Rose" played by Liu Dehai. He asked Liu Dehai if the song "Rose" was a tune for the common people? He showed his concern and strong interest in folk art. When he heard that the conservatory not only taught music but also opera, he said it was a good idea. Mao Zedong hoped that students would pay attention to national art and not abandon foreign art. As long as it was good, they should learn it. As for ancient Chinese and foreign art, they should be selective when learning it.

◆On October 13, 1964, after watching the play Sister Jiang in the small auditorium of the Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao Zedong cordially met with the actors of the Air Force Art Troupe.

This New Year's Eve music party and the conversations with teachers and students left Mao Zedong with a beautiful and unforgettable impression. Therefore, a few months later, when he saw the letter from the students of the Conservatory of Music, he felt very close to it and paid special attention to it. After careful consideration, he made the above instructions, including his evaluation of the letter, the importance of the problem, the solution, the possible situations, the ultimate goal, etc., and expressed clear opinions. This shows that Mao Zedong was very concerned about the reform of art education and the healthy development of the Central Conservatory of Music.

Conservatory of Music implements instructions

After receiving Mao Zedong's instructions, Lu Dingyi instructed Lin Mohan, deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department and director of the Literature and Art Department, to implement it. Lin found Zhao Xun, secretary of the Party Committee and vice president of the Central Conservatory of Music, and asked him to read Chen Lian's letter and Mao Zedong's instructions, understand Chen Lian's situation, and study the methods and steps to solve the problem. Zhao said that he would resolutely follow Mao Zedong's instructions and take immediate action to reform the teaching of music and art.

At that time, this letter and Mao Zedong's instructions were only communicated to the faculty and staff of a certain level in the party of the Conservatory of Music, and the ins and outs of the matter were not explained in detail to the faculty and students of the whole conservatory. Zhao Xun was the backbone of my country's new music movement, a famous music theorist, educator, and social activist. He was an old comrade who joined the party in 1941, with strong party spirit and ability. He immediately convened a meeting of the party committee of the conservatory to study how to implement Mao Zedong's instructions and formulate a plan. According to the opinions of the party committee, Zhao Xun went to the door to inform President Ma Sicong of the matter. Soon a series of meetings were held, such as the meeting of department heads, the meeting of teachers' representatives, the meeting of students' representatives, and the meeting of the whole conservatory, to carry out extensive mobilization and earnestly implement Mao Zedong's instructions with a very clear and positive attitude. For a period of time, teachers and students of each department held a symposium every week to expose problems in teaching that did not conform to the spirit of the "three transformations" and discuss ways to improve them; they boldly opened their minds, debated and improved each other, and the academic atmosphere was very strong. Just as Mao Zedong had predicted, when the discussion began, "many people disagreed" with Chen Lianxin's views. The college recorded and summarized the questions and opinions raised in various forums, sorted them into different topics, and instructed some comrades to prepare special speeches for discussion and exchange. At that time, I was a literary theory teacher in the college. The issue of "inheritance and criticism of literary heritage" was one of the important contents of the "Introduction to Art" course. Therefore, in addition to being ordered to sort out the questions raised by teachers and students, I was also responsible for excerpting relevant discussions of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Mao for reference by teachers and students during discussions. At the same time, I was also divided into groups to prepare special speeches on "the issue of criticism and inheritance of literary heritage." At this time, "three transformations" and educational reform became the center of teachers and students' thinking and discussion. Thoughts were unprecedentedly active and debates were everywhere. The college showed a new and vibrant atmosphere and produced good results.

However, starting from October 16 of that year, most of the teachers and students of the college went to the rural area of ​​Tong County on the outskirts of Beijing to participate in the "Four Cleanups" (also known as the "Socialist Education Movement") in accordance with the unified deployment of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. Only a few teachers and students stayed in school to continue teaching and reform.

The significance of Chen Lian's letter and Mao Zedong's instructions is self-evident. It gave a shock to the old and conservative music education and even the entire art education, causing people to reflect a lot and start to clear their minds. They realized that the teaching content and methods that were "passed down from generation to generation" in the past were no longer effective, and they must keep pace with the times and find a new way out for the reform of art teaching based on the people's needs for literature and art.

Inspired by the spirit of Mao Zedong's instructions, teachers and students of the Central Conservatory of Music went out of the school gate, went to the countryside, entered factories, and went to the army to perform and visit, listen to the masses' demands for music, experience life, exercise their thoughts, and collect creative materials. The Department of Music used Sundays to go to Beihai Park to teach songs and explain music knowledge. Each department formulated a new teaching plan to increase the teaching proportion of national folk music. For foreign music repertoires, careful selection was made. Fresh air filled the campus, and the Central Conservatory of Music moved forward along a new path!

Editor: Guo Xiaoli

Editor｜Chen Yanru

Editor: Xiang Dongmin