TO BE ATTACKED BY THE ENEMY IS NOT A BAD THING BUT A GOOD THING

Mao Tse-tung
[On the Third Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese people'sAnti-Japanese Military and Political College]
May 26, 1939
Why is it that the Anti-Japanese Military and Political College has become famous all over the country and even enjoys some reputation abroad? Because, of all the anti-Japanese military institutes, it is the most revolutionary, the most progressive, and the best fighter for national liberation and social emancipation. This, I think, is also the reason why visitors to Yenan are so keen on seeing it.
The college is revolutionary and progressive because both its staff members and teachers and its courses are revolutionary and progressive. Without this revolutionary and progressive character, it could never have won the praise of revolutionary people at home and abroad.
Some people attack the college; they are the country's capitulationists and die-hards. This only goes to show that the college is a most revolutionary and progressive one, or otherwise they would not attack it. The vigorous attacks by the capitulationists die-hards testify to its revolutionary and progressive nature and add to its lustre. It is a glorious military institute not only because the majority of the people support and praise it, but also because the capitulationists and die-hards strenuously attack and slander it.
I hold that it is bad as far as we are concerned if a person, a political party, an army or a school is not attacked by the enemy, for in that case it would definitely mean that we have sunk to the level of the enemy. It is good if we are attacked by the enemy, since it proves that we have drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves. It is still better if the enemy attacks us wildly and paints us as utterly black and without a single virtue; it demonstrates that we have not only drawn a clear line of demarcation between the enemy and ourselves but achieved a great deal in our work.
In the past three years, the Anti-Japanese Military and Political College has made a great contribution to the country, to the nation and to society by training tens of thousands of promising, progressive and revolutionary young students. It will certainly go on making its contribution to the country, the nation and society, because it will continue to train such young students in large numbers. In speaking of the college, people often compare it to the Whampoa Military Academy [1] before the Northern Expedition. In fact, there are points of both similarity and difference between the two institutes. The similarity is the presence of Communists among the teachers and students in both. The difference is that, while the chief leaders and the majority of the students at the Whampoa Military Academy were members of the Kuomintang the entire leadership of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political College is in the hands of the Communist Party and the vast majority of the students are communist or communist-inclined. For this reason, the Anti-Japanese Military and Political College of today cannot but be more revolutionary and more progressive than was the Whampoa Military Academy of the past, and it will certainly make a greater contribution to national liberation and social emancipation.
The educational policy of the college is to cultivate a firm and correct political orientation, an industrious and simple style of work, and flexible strategy and tactics. These are the three essentials in the making of an anti-Japanese revolutionary soldier. It is in accordance with these essentials that the staff teach and the students study.
The progress and development of the college over the past few years have been accompanied by certain shortcomings. It has grown, but difficulties have arisen too. The main difficulty is the shortage of funds, teachers and teaching materials. But led by the Communist Party, the college does not fear any difficulties and will certainly overcome them. There are no such things as difficulties for Communists, for they can surmount them.
It is my hope and the hope of the people of the whole country that the college will eliminate its shortcomings and become still more progressive after its third anniversary.
Teachers, staff members and students of the college, let us redouble our efforts!
NOTES
1. The Whampoa Military Academy, located at Whampoa near Canton, was established by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1924 with the help of the Chinese Communists and the Soviet Union. At the time, it was run jointly by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. At one time or another Chou En-lai, Yun Tai-ying, Hsio Chu-nu, Hsiung Hsiung and other comrades did political and other works in the academy. They trained large numbers of cadres in a revolutionary spirit for the revolutionary armed forces; these cadres included many members of the Communist Party and the Communist Youth League. However, the head of the academy was Chiang Kai-shek. Using his position, he pushed aside the Communists, built up his own following and finally, after the Counter-Revolutionary coup d'etat of April 12, 1927, turned the academy into a Counter-Revolutionary organization.