83 years ago today, on May 2, 1942 (March 18, 1942 in the lunar calendar), the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art was held. Group photo of Mao Zedong, Zhu De, etc. with the participants in the symposium on literature and art On May 2, 1942, the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a symposium on literature and art in Yangjialing, Yan'an. There were more than 80 writers, artists and literary and artistic workers in attendance. The meeting was chaired by Kaifeng. On May 2, the first meeting, Mao Zedong talked about the position, attitude, object, work, study and other issues. On the 16th, the second meeting was held. Mao Zedong, Zhu De and other central leading comrades listened carefully to everyone's speeches. Ke Zhongping, the head of the People's Theatre Troupe, talked about the performance experience of the troupe. Ouyang Shanzun, the president of the Battle Drama Society of the 120th Division, who came back from the northwest of Jin Dynasty, made a speech. On the 23rd, the last meeting was held. Zhu De first made a speech, talking about the standpoint, attitude, and object issues of literary and artistic work, and contacted himself to talk about the change of world outlook. Mao Zedong made a "conclusion" speech. After the symposium, Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Ren Bishi, Wang Jiaxiang, Bogu, Kaifeng, Xu Teli and other leading comrades of the Central Committee took a group photo with all the delegates who participated in the symposium. In May, at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art, Mao Zedong delivered "Speech at the Yan'an Symposium on Literature and Art". The "Speech" is divided into two parts: "Introduction" and "Conclusion". " The Speech is a summary of the experience and lessons of China's New Culture Movement since the May Fourth Movement. It connects the problems existing in the literary and art circles in Yan'an and the anti-Japanese base areas, and puts forward the theory and policy of the Communist Party of China to solve this series of problems. The Speech points out: "Why is the problem of people a fundamental problem, a problem of principle." "We literary and artistic workers whose knowledge is divided into their origins must make their works popular with the masses by changing and reforming their own thoughts and feelings. Without this change and this reform, nothing can be done well and they are out of place." "If this fundamental problem is not solved, many other problems will not be easy to solve." " The Speech clearly pointed out the direction in which literature and art serve the masses of the people, first and foremost the workers, peasants and soldiers; at the same time, according to the laws and characteristics of literature and art, it put forward the famous conclusion that "literary and artistic works, as ideological forms, are the product of the reflection of certain social life in the human mind." The Speech also put forward the typical creative principle that "the life reflected in literary works can and should be higher, more intense, more concentrated, more typical, more ideal than ordinary real life, and therefore more universal. Revolutionary literature and art should create various characters based on actual life to help the masses promote the development of history." The "Speech" further pointed out the problem of "how to serve the masses" in literature and art, and pointed out that the principle of party spirit must be reflected through typical images, and the specific combat function of literature and art must be more effectively exerted. Only literary and artistic works that typify the contradictions and struggles in life can, through artistic feelings, "awaken the masses of the people, inspire them, push the masses towards unity and struggle, and implement the transformation of their own environment."