The Party's Scientific and Technological Talent Work during the Anti-Japanese War

The former site of Yan'an Academy of Natural Sciences, which is the first institution in the history of our party to carry out natural science teaching and research

Attaching importance to scientific and technological talents and developing scientific and technological undertakings has always been an important policy of the Communist Party of China. During the period of the all-round Anti-Japanese War, our party further strengthened the work of scientific and technological talents, made systematic plans from the aspects of training, absorption, use and treatment of scientific and technological talents, and gave better play to the role of scientific and technological talents in the extremely difficult environment at that time. it strongly supported the development of economic construction in the anti-Japanese base areas and laid an important foundation for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, it also provides experience for the training of scientific and technological talents and the development of scientific and technological undertakings after the founding of New China.

　　Cultivate scientific and technological talents who "understand both revolutionary theory and natural science" and "unify theory and practice"
Cultivating new forces in science and technology independently is an important measure for the party to strengthen the work of scientific and technological talents. Based on the actual needs of the base areas and the law of talent growth, our party has established its own talent training school, and successively established the Yan'an Academy of Natural Sciences, China Medical University, Agricultural School, Health Training School, Bethune Nurse School, etc., for the people's army and base areas. Various undertakings have cultivated a large number of scientific and technological backbones with high quality in all aspects.
While establishing talent training schools, our party also supports the organization and establishment of research institutions in base areas, and has successively carried out various scientific research and scientific practice activities. In February 1940, the Natural Science Research Association of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border region was established to concentrate scientific and technological talents by holding annual meetings, organizing scientific reports, writing academic and popular science articles, and organizing scientific investigations, so that they can learn from each other in academic, technical, and work experience, help each other, and give full play to their greatest strength. For example, in September 1941, the Natural Science Research Association organized the observation of the Yan'an solar eclipse and recorded the observation results in detail to help students and the masses scientifically understand natural phenomena such as solar eclipses and lunar eclipses, and played a role in popularizing natural science knowledge. The members of the Research Association also actively participated in the construction of textile, papermaking, matches, military, geological mining and other industrial and medical and health fields in the border area, in order to "mobilize all the forces of the national natural science community to participate in the natural science work of the Anti Japanese War and the founding of the people's Republic of China. Since then, specialized societies such as medicine, biology, agronomy, electromechanical, chemistry, and mathematics have also been established one after another, uniting scientific and technological talents in related fields to carry out research in a planned and systematic manner, and apply the research results to practical work.
In order to enhance the exchange of scientific and technological personnel and technical experience, our party has also organized a rich technical exhibition on physics, chemistry, geology, minerals, biology, etc., which has played a role in testing production achievements, improving production efficiency, improving product quality and promoting technological progress. The Yan'an Workers' Manufacturing Products Competition and Exhibition held in 1938 was personally advocated and sponsored by Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Chen Yun and other leading comrades. There are 420 exhibits in this exhibition, and more than 3500 people visited and signed.

　　Welcome scientific and technological talents and other specialized families to come to the anti-Japanese base.
During the period of the all-round Anti-Japanese War, the introduction and absorption of scientific and technological talents from outside the base areas was an important way for our party to effectively alleviate the tension and dilemma of scientific and technological talents and do a good job in the work of scientific and technological talents.
As early as August 1936, in a letter to Zhang Naiqi and others, Mao Zedong talked about the attitude of the Party Central Committee towards "specialists. He pointed out: For all "intellectuals and specialists, welcome him to the Soviet area and give them the opportunity to work and develop their talents". The government of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region clearly requires: "respect intellectuals, promote scientific knowledge and literary and artistic movements, and welcome scientific and artistic talents".
Inspired by the anti-Japanese national united front policy and attracted by the correct talent policy, a large number of patriotic scientific and technological talents broke through the blockade and obstruction of the Kuomintang reactionaries and rushed to the anti-Japanese base areas such as Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, Jinchaji, and Northwest Shanxi. The poet He Qifang recorded his experience in Yan'an in early 1938: "The gate of Yan'an is open all day long, and there are young people coming from all directions all day long, carrying luggage and burning hope, walking into the gate." There are many scientific and technological talents.

　　"full trust" and "full responsibility" for scientific and technological talents"
With regard to the use of scientific and technological talents, our party has clearly pointed out that we should have full trust in them, properly distribute their work according to their specialized knowledge and skills, give them the necessary conditions, and strive to create various opportunities to enable them to make the best use of their talents. Mainly reflected in two aspects:
First, let scientific and technological talents take important positions and undertake key tasks. In April 1941, the Central Military Commission instructed that all kinds of scientific and technological talents should be "based on their specialized knowledge and be fully responsible for their work, such as factory directors, hospital directors, etc". In May 1942, the Secretariat of the Central Committee also clearly stipulated that cultural and technical cadres should be respected for their "work experience, increase their prestige, and boldly promote responsible work (whether administrative or technical)". In September 1942, in the instructions of the General Political Department on the issue of intellectual cadres in the army, the idea of "accommodating", "transforming" and "using" talents was put forward. If we want to strive for scientific and technological talents and realize the correct "use", we must first achieve "tolerance", give full trust and acceptance to scientific and technological talents of different backgrounds, and there is "transformation" in "tolerance". Through "transformation", we will constantly transform and train them, and finally achieve the expected effect of "using" talents for me. In this process, we should also pay attention to "everything should be focused on the big picture, not on the details", change the blunt methods and methods, the blame for perfection in work and life, sectarian views and narrow mentality. When it comes to issues of advanced professional knowledge and skills, we should keep an open mind. Not only should we not despise and interfere with the work of "specialists, but on the contrary, we should always pay attention to sponsoring experts with high knowledge and technology and trust them". Under the guidance of this working idea, scientific and technological talents are vigorously employed. For example, at the second Senate of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border region in 1941, six scientific and technological talents, including Zhao Yifeng, director of the Industry Bureau of the Construction Department, and Lu Zhijun, president of the International Peace Hospital, were elected or hired as senators to participate in the discussion of major policies in the Border region.
The second is to actively create conditions for scientific and technological talents to do a good job, so that they "have the most extensive activity site" and can show their skills. In the winter of 1939, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government established Yan'an Guanghua Farm, an experimental farm engaged in agricultural science and technology research, and selected Chen Lingfeng and other scientific and technological personnel to participate in the preparation of the farm. In order to help carry out scientific research in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, the border region government has repeatedly broken through the enemy's blockade and introduced some crops and vegetable seeds, as well as some excellent dairy cows, milk sheep and other important animal husbandry varieties. In 1941, the government of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border region allocated 700000 yuan and a bank loan of 3 million yuan as an investment in raising funds to set up factories in the industrial sector, which strongly supported the work of scientific and technological personnel in cotton and wool textile, papermaking, oil extraction, ironmaking and other industrial fields, and so on.

　　Attach great importance to the "preferential treatment of technical personnel" to ensure that they have no worries.
During this period, in order to help the vast number of scientific and technological talents solve their worries in life, our party formulated a series of rules and regulations. In May 1941, the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee decided to make additional cadre clothing for cultural and technical cadres and increase the allowance 1/3; set up a small kitchen and increase the vegetable price by 5 yuan. In May 1942, the Secretariat of the Central Committee promulgated the regulations on the treatment of cultural and technical cadres. According to the educational background and work experience, specialized talents were divided into three categories: A, B, and C. In terms of living treatment, it clearly stipulated the allowances for various technical talents., Food, accommodation, clothes, books and newspapers, as well as specific guarantees such as attendants and horses. Among them, Class A cultural and technical cadres can receive a monthly allowance from 15 yuan to 30 yuan. The food is based on the principle of eating a small kitchen. The cave can live alone. Each year, one set of cotton-padded clothes and one set of single clothes are specially made. Books and newspapers are "submitted by various organs to the United Front Work Department for review and notification to the Publishing and Distribution Department". They can also be equipped with service personnel and horses according to work needs.
For those young students who are interested in studying science and technology, our party also takes great care of them. It not only "waives school board and accommodation fees after enrollment", but also helps solve other difficulties in life. For example, in September 1940, the Yan'an Academy of Natural Sciences held a plenary meeting to launch a mutual aid movement to solve the living needs of teachers and students from production, and to solve the problem of winter supplies such as cotton-padded clothes. Lin Wei, a former student of the Yan'an Academy of Natural Sciences, later recalled that despite the difficulties of life during the full-scale war of resistance, "the Party Central Committee gave preferential treatment to scientific and technical personnel. The teachers ate half a kilo of white flour a day and gave out new cotton-padded clothes every year," and were able to hand out pencils and paper to the students, and eat meat and steamed buns twice a week, which were very rare at the time.
In addition, in order to encourage scientific and technological personnel to better carry out scientific and technological innovation, the governments of various border regions and some scientific organizations have also formulated material awards and honor awarding policies for scientific and technological talents to stimulate the initiative, enthusiasm and creativity of scientific and technological talents. What moved the scientific and technological workers in particular was that in order to raise various scientific bonuses, Mao Zedong and other leading comrades often economized on food and clothing and donated money to help, which greatly encouraged the scientific and technological workers to "study for the border area and the war of resistance" and bravely overcome difficulties. Revolutionary enthusiasm enables them to actively devote themselves to various construction undertakings in the base area with more full work enthusiasm.
During the period of the all-round Anti Japanese War, our party strengthened its leadership over the work of scientific and technological talents, trained, absorbed and reused a number of scientific and technological talents who understood theory and technology. Yun Ziqiang, Shen Hong, Hua Shoujun, Lin Hua, Chen Zhenxia and a large number of scientific and technological talents emerged in the fields of chemistry, machinery and petroleum. With the full trust of the party and the protection of various policies, the revolutionary enthusiasm of scientific and technological talents has been greatly encouraged, and a lot of fruitful work has been carried out in agriculture and industry, which has effectively promoted various undertakings including economic construction in the base areas. development. With the progress of agricultural technology, the grain output in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region alone increased from 1.116 million stone in 1937 to 1.817 million stone in 1944, and a total of 1.0139 million stone of public grain was paid in the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War. The anti-Japanese base areas also realized the industrial development from scratch until July 1944, more than 80 large and small public factories have been established in the textile, paper, ordnance, machine manufacturing, ironmaking, tanning, bedding and clothing, matches, soap, glass, shoemaking and basic chemical industries. These achievements not only provided a strong guarantee for the final victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan, but also laid the "economic foundation for the future new democratic new China" to a certain extent ".

Source: China Organization and Personnel News