The Spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea: Both Daring to Struggle and Being Skilled at Struggle

In October 2020, at a meeting commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ departure for the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that in the magnificent War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the heroic Chinese People’s Volunteers always carried forward the patriotic spirit of placing the interests of the motherland and the people above all else and risking their lives for the dignity of the motherland and the nation; the revolutionary heroism of being brave, tenacious, and unafraid of sacrifice; the revolutionary optimism of fearing no hardship and maintaining high morale; the revolutionary loyalty of generously dedicating everything to fulfill the mission entrusted by the motherland and the people; and the internationalist spirit of fighting for the cause of human peace and justice, forging the great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. This important exposition profoundly elaborates on the historical significance, scientific connotation, and contemporary value of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, providing a fundamental guide for us to carry forward this great spirit, respond to risks and challenges, dare to struggle and be skilled at struggle, and concentrate on handling our own affairs well.

2020年10月，习近平总书记在纪念中国人民志愿军抗美援朝出国作战70周年大会上指出，在波澜壮阔的抗美援朝战争中，英雄的中国人民志愿军始终发扬祖国和人民利益高于一切、为了祖国和民族的尊严而奋不顾身的爱国主义精神，英勇顽强、舍生忘死的革命英雄主义精神，不畏艰难困苦、始终保持高昂士气的革命乐观主义精神，为完成祖国和人民赋予的使命、慷慨奉献自己一切的革命忠诚精神，为了人类和平与正义事业而奋斗的国际主义精神，锻造了伟大抗美援朝精神。这一重要论述深刻阐述了抗美援朝精神的历史意义、科学内涵和时代价值，为我们赓续伟大抗美援朝精神，应对风险挑战，敢于斗争、善于斗争，集中精力办好自己的事提供了根本遵循。

The formation of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was by no means accidental; it was rooted in the historical logic of China’s struggle for survival since modern times, a crystallization of national awakening, the spirit of struggle, and the practice of war. When the U.S. Seventh Fleet intruded into the Taiwan Strait and its aircraft bombed China’s northeastern border, the national pride and patriotic fervor deep in the hearts of the Chinese people were thoroughly ignited. “Preserve peace, defend the motherland, that is to defend our homes” became the most resounding slogan of that era, and cultural traditions were transformed into a powerful spiritual driving force under specific historical conditions. Facing the “UN forces” armed to the teeth, the Volunteer soldiers, with “less steel but more spirit,” defeated the strong enemy with “more steel but less spirit,” creating a miracle of victory for the weak over the strong. Holding positions under relentless bombing, blocking gun emplacements with their chests, using their bodies as human ladders, charging into enemy groups with explosive packs and blasting tubes in hand… These heroic deeds were a microcosm of the spiritual outlook of all Volunteers, and through repeated tempering in the practice of war, they ultimately coalesced into the great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

抗美援朝精神的形成绝非偶然，而是根植于中国近代以来救亡图存的历史逻辑，是民族觉醒、斗争精神和战争实践共同作用的结晶。当美军第七舰队侵入台湾海峡、飞机轰炸中国东北边境时，中国人民内心深处的民族自尊和爱国热情被彻底激发。“保和平，卫祖国，就是保家乡”成为那个时代最响亮的口号，文化传统在特定历史条件下转化为强大的精神动力。面对武装到牙齿的“联合国军”，志愿军将士以“钢少气多”战胜“钢多气少”的强敌，创造了以弱胜强的战争奇迹。顶着狂轰滥炸坚守阵地，用胸膛堵枪眼，以身躯作人梯，抱起炸药包、手握爆破筒冲入敌群……这些英雄壮举，是全体志愿军精神风貌的缩影，通过战争实践的反复锤炼，最终凝聚成伟大的抗美援朝精神。

The first eight months of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea were dominated by mobile warfare, after which it entered a strategic stalemate phase of fighting while negotiating, lasting two years and one month. Our side adhered to the principles of being justified, advantageous, and restrained, while also insisting on fighting while talking and using fighting to promote talks, ultimately forcing the aggressors to sign the armistice agreement. The great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, forged through this war, is a precious spiritual treasure that will surely inspire the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and defeat all powerful enemies.

抗美援朝战争前8个月以运动战为主，之后进入边打边谈的长达两年零一个月的战略相持阶段，我方既坚持有理、有利、有节，又坚持边打边谈、以打促谈，最终迫使侵略者在停战协定上签字。抗美援朝战争锻造形成的伟大抗美援朝精神，是弥足珍贵的精神财富，必将激励中国人民和中华民族克服一切艰难险阻、战胜一切强大敌人。

The patriotic spirit is the foundation of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. During the war, patriotism became the great banner and source of strength uniting the entire Party, the entire military, and people of all ethnic groups across the country. After the CPC Central Committee made the strategic decision to “resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, protect our homes and defend our country,” the entire military, through extensive discussions on “whether to fight” and “whether we can fight” and thorough ideological and political work, saw Volunteer soldiers advance wave upon wave, unhesitatingly rushing to the battlefield to shed blood and sacrifice their lives. A nationwide upsurge in signing patriotic covenants and launching patriotic production competition campaigns emerged. By October 1951, over 80% of the population in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai had signed patriotic covenants. Workers raised the slogan “The factory is the battlefield, the machine is the gun.” Workers in the Northeast region launched a campaign to create added value equivalent to 10.4 million tons of grain in 1951. The mutual-aid team led by Shanxi model worker Li Shunda issued a challenge to the whole country for a patriotic production increase competition in 1951; by October, 10 million peasants had participated in the patriotic bumper harvest competition, and that year’s national output of grain, cotton, and other crops exceeded the 1950 level. It was under the inspiration of the patriotic spirit that the Chinese people unleashed an extremely powerful force, ultimately winning victory and demonstrating the prestige of New China’s nation and military. Through this war, the Chinese nation truly began to stand tall among the nations of the world.

爱国主义精神是抗美援朝精神的根本。抗美援朝战争期间，爱国主义成为凝聚全党、全军、全国各族人民的伟大旗帜和力量源泉。中共中央作出“抗美援朝，保家卫国”的战略决策后，全军通过广泛开展“该不该打”“能不能打”的大讨论和深入细致的思想政治工作，志愿军将士前赴后继、义无反顾地奔赴战场抛头颅、洒热血。全国掀起订立爱国公约热潮，开展爱国生产竞赛运动。至1951年10月，北京、天津、上海等城市80%以上人口订立爱国公约。工人们提出“工厂就是战场，机器就是枪炮”的口号，东北地区工人掀起在1951年创造价值相当于1040万吨粮食的增产运动。山西劳模李顺达领导的互助组，于1951年向全国发出爱国增产竞赛挑战书，至10月有1000万农民参加爱国丰产竞赛，当年全国粮食、棉花等农作物产量超过1950年水平。正是在爱国主义精神的激励下，中国人民爆发出了极其强大的力量，最终赢得了胜利，打出了新中国的国威军威。经此一战，中华民族开始真正屹立于世界民族之林。

The revolutionary heroism is the essence of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. War is not only a contest of material forces but also a contest of spirit. In the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, revolutionary heroism was embodied in using every means to overcome all difficulties and annihilate all enemies. The magnificent history of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is a history of Volunteer soldiers vying to be heroes, to earn military merits, and to be the first to kill the enemy. The over 300,000 heroes and meritorious individuals and nearly 6,000 meritorious collectives that emerged in the war erected a spiritual monument to revolutionary heroism. Facing the enemy’s absolute air supremacy and superior equipment, the Volunteers could hold their positions and defeat the enemy by relying on one word: daring—daring to fight at close quarters, daring to fight at night, daring to engage in bayonet charges, and daring to sacrifice. In the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the Volunteers, wearing thin cotton-padded jackets and enduring hunger, made the Americans suffer “the most arduous ordeal in the history of the Marine Corps” during “the coldest winter.” As the U.S. forces retreated, they saw a shocking sight of frozen statues: Volunteer soldiers lying prone in the snow, holding their rifles, maintaining combat postures. The Volunteer soldiers fulfilled their solemn oath of “if not on the hero wall, then on the martyr’s wall” with their lives and blood. In the Battle of Triangle Hill alone, 38 warriors like Huang Jiguang perished together with the enemy. The special-class hero Yang Gensi often said: “I don’t believe there are tasks that cannot be completed, I don’t believe there are difficulties that cannot be overcome, I don’t believe there are enemies that cannot be defeated!” These “three disbeliefs” are a vivid portrayal of the Volunteer soldiers’ fearlessness in the face of hardship and their courage to challenge heaven and earth.

革命英雄主义精神是抗美援朝精神的精髓。战争不仅是物质的较量，更是精神的比拼。抗美援朝战争中，革命英雄主义体现在用尽一切办法，克服一切困难，消灭一切敌人。一部波澜壮阔的抗美援朝战争史，就是一部志愿军将士人人争当英雄、争立战功、争先杀敌的历史。战争中涌现的30多万名英雄功臣和近6000个功臣集体，铸就了革命英雄主义的精神丰碑。面对强敌的绝对制空权和优势装备，志愿军能守住阵地，战胜敌人，靠的就是一个敢字：敢于近战、敢于夜战、敢于拼刺刀、敢于牺牲。长津湖一战，志愿军身着薄棉衣、忍受饥饿，让美国人在“最寒冷的冬天”，遭受了“陆战队历史上最为艰辛的磨难”。美军撤退时，沿途看到了令人惊心动魄的冰雕群像：志愿军战士们俯卧在雪地上，手握钢枪，保持着战斗姿势。志愿军将士用生命和鲜血践行了“不上英雄墙，便涂烈士墙”的铮铮誓言，仅上甘岭一役就有38名“黄继光”式的勇士与敌人同归于尽。特级英雄杨根思常说的一句话是：不相信有完不成的任务，不相信有克服不了的困难，不相信有战胜不了的敌人！这“三个不相信”正是志愿军将士不畏艰难困苦、敢于战天斗地的生动写照。

The revolutionary optimism is the most distinctive core of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was a just war against aggression. The Volunteer soldiers firmly believed that “a just war will ultimately be victorious.” Facing extremely harsh natural conditions, they carried forward the spirit of revolutionary optimism, persisting in battle with the tenacious will of “a handful of fried flour and a handful of snow.” In the tunnels of Triangle Hill, at the most difficult moments, soldiers could only quench their thirst with urine, yet they maintained an optimistic attitude, using tin cans as drums, playing flutes as accompaniment, and singing “My Motherland,” forming a powerful spiritual force.

革命乐观主义精神是抗美援朝精神最具标识的内核。抗美援朝战争是反抗侵略的正义战争，志愿军将士坚信“正义的战争最后一定会胜利的”，面对极端恶劣的自然环境，他们发扬革命乐观主义精神，以“一把炒面一把雪”的顽强意志坚持战斗。在上甘岭的坑道里，最艰难的时刻，战士们只能用尿解渴，但他们依然保持乐观心态，用罐头盒当鼓敲，用笛子伴奏，唱起了《我的祖国》，形成一股强大的精神力量。

The revolutionary loyalty is the foundation of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. Only pure revolutionary loyalty can inspire the deepest strength, giving rise to dauntless heroism and resolute, decisive great deeds. In the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, facing the “steel-armed” U.S. military, the Volunteer soldiers “never feared, never wavered, and went wherever the higher authorities directed.” Qiu Shaoyun could endure being engulfed in flames without moving a muscle; Huang Jiguang could, at a critical moment, block a machine-gun embrasure with his chest without hesitation; Sun Zhanyuan fought to his last breath and perished together with the enemy… The support behind these heroic acts was boundless loyalty to the Party, the motherland, and the people. The broad masses spontaneously and enthusiastically enlisted to participate in the war, leading to touching scenes of parents sending their children, wives sending their husbands, and brothers vying to join the army. In Zhejiang Province, with a population of 20 million, over 1 million peasants enthusiastically signed up for military service. A nationwide upsurge in enthusiastically supporting the front lines emerged; in the Northeast region alone, over 600,000 peasants joined stretcher teams, transport teams, and civilian labor teams. The Volunteers fought heroically on the battlefield, and the people across the country selflessly supported them from the rear, relying on their unwavering loyalty and trust in the Party.

革命忠诚精神是抗美援朝精神的底蕴。只有纯粹的革命忠诚，才会激发最深沉的力量，涌现出大无畏的英雄气概和坚毅决绝的伟大壮举。抗美援朝战争中，面对“钢铁武装”的美军，志愿军将士“决不畏惧，决不动摇，上级指到哪里就打到哪里”。邱少云能经烈火焚身而纹丝不动，黄继光能够在关键时刻毫不犹豫地用胸口堵住机枪眼，孙占元战斗到最后一口气与敌人同归于尽……这些英雄行为背后的支撑都是对党、对祖国、对人民的无限忠诚。广大群众自发踊跃参军参战，出现父母送子女、妻子送丈夫、兄弟争相参军的动人景象，人口2000万人的浙江省就有100多万农民踊跃报名参军。全国掀起踊跃支前热潮，仅东北地区就有60多万农民参加担架队、运输队和民工队。志愿军在战场上英勇杀敌，全国人民在后方无私支援，靠的就是对党的无比忠诚和信赖。

The internationalist spirit is an integral component of the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea. When the flames of war reached the Yalu River, should we send troops? Mao Zedong pointed out that when others are in a national crisis, if we stand by and watch, no matter how we put it, we would feel distressed in our hearts. This fully reflects our Party’s clear stance of caring for fraternal neighboring countries. The CPC Central Committee’s decision to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea was made both from the perspective of China’s security interests and from the perspective of the Korean people’s national liberation cause, and it was even more focused on world peace. During the war, the Chinese and Korean peoples and their armies shared weal and woe, were bound by life and death, and forged a great fighting friendship with their blood. While in Korea, the Volunteer soldiers cherished every mountain, river, plant, and tree of Korea, took not a single needle or thread from the Korean people, and did their utmost to help them. Volunteer soldier Luo Shengjiao dove three times into icy water, using his last ounce of strength to rescue a drowning Korean child, sacrificing his young life at the age of 21. Korean leaders praised the Chinese People’s Volunteers as “a truly internationalist army,” stating that “the great feats they established in the Korean War will last forever alongside Korea’s beautiful mountains and rivers.”

国际主义精神是抗美援朝精神的有机组成。当战火烧至鸭绿江边，我们该不该出兵？毛泽东指出，别人处于国家危急时刻，我们站在旁边看，不论怎样说，心里也难过。这充分体现了我们党关心兄弟邻国的鲜明立场。中共中央决策抗美援朝，既是从中国的安全利益出发，也是从朝鲜人民的民族解放事业出发，更是着眼于世界的和平。在战争中，中朝两国人民和军队休戚与共、生死相依，用鲜血凝结成了伟大战斗友谊。志愿军将士在朝鲜期间，爱护朝鲜的一山一水一草一木，不拿朝鲜人民的一针一线，全力帮助朝鲜人民。志愿军战士罗盛教三次潜入冰冷的水底，用尽最后一丝力气救出落水的朝鲜儿童，献出了年仅21岁的年轻生命。朝鲜领导人称赞中国人民志愿军“是真正的国际主义的军队”，“在朝鲜战争中所建立的丰功伟绩，将同朝鲜美丽的山河一起万古长存”。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心