History of the Young Pioneers

The Young Pioneers is a mass revolutionary organization for Chinese children. Its development follows the development of China's revolutionary situation and can be divided into five stages:

Working Children's League (1924 - 1927)

In the 1920s and 1930s, China was a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country, suffering from internal and external troubles. The people lived in poverty. Most of the children did not even have enough to eat. Don't talk about going to school. They went to farm and work at a young age, or worked as slaves for wealthy people, leading an inhuman life. In 1924, the new Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang cooperated to launch the Northern Expedition to overthrow the unreasonable system. While leading the masses of workers and peasants to make revolution, the party established working children's leagues in Wuhan, Shanghai, Tianjin, Tangshan, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hainan and many other places, attracting a large number of heavy workers, apprentices, poor children and primary school students to join.

***The Youth League is entrusted by the Party to lead the work where labor is more important than the League. In 1926, the resolution made at the third enlarged meeting of the Communist Youth League clearly stipulated: Educating children, cultivating their spirit of brave sacrifice and habits of group life, and training them to become warriors who will continue the revolution in the future are the fundamental goals of the Communist Party of China. *The important mission of the Youth League. Under the direct leadership of the Communist Youth League, the Working Children's League developed rapidly and achieved great results. In the city, working boy league members followed their father and brothers in strikes against capitalist exploitation and in demonstrations against imperialism and warlords. Their slogan is: "Prepare to overthrow imperialism! Prepare to overthrow the warlords! Prepare to be the masters of the world!" In the countryside, the Working Children's League played an active role in fighting local tyrants, cracking down on gambling, and breaking superstitions.

Just as the Labor Boys were flourishing, in 1927, Chiang Kai-shek, who betrayed the revolution, launched the bloody "April 12" counter-revolutionary coup. A large number of revolutionary aspirants and communists were brutally murdered, and the revolution Suffering great damage, the development of the Working Children's League was also forced to reach a low ebb.

The Communist Children's League (1927--1936)

The Nanchang Uprising (1927) led by Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and others fired the first shot against the reactionaries. Immediately afterwards, under the leadership of Comrade Mao Zedong, the Autumn Harvest Uprising was held, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was created, and rural revolutionary base areas were opened. The Chinese revolution embarked on the correct path of encircling the cities from the countryside. During the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the party established the Communist Children's League for children in the Soviet area of ????the revolutionary base area. The party entrusted the Communist Youth League to lead the Communist Children's League.

In 1930, the Third Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Committee of the Communist Youth League was held. The plenary session pointed out in the resolution that the nature of the children's movement is a "socialist children's movement" and its mission is to "educate children in a communist spirit". The slogan is "Be prepared, always be prepared." The *** Youth League has established children's bureaus from the central government to the league headquarters at all levels to lead the work of the children's league. Children in the Soviet area generally participated in the Communist Children's League. Under the leadership of the Communist Youth League, they actively participated in learning and various revolutionary activities.

An important task of the Children's League at that time was to enable the vast majority of children to study in Lenin Primary School through propaganda and mobilization. At the same time, every year on Children's Day, the National Children's League holds a grand review to review academic performance, field exercises and games, etc. It is lively, interesting and educational, and is very popular with children. The children's league members also actively responded to the party's call, publicized the expansion of the Red Army, and carried out activities to support the army and give priority to their families in lively and diverse forms. For example, children's league members in Hunan and Jiangxi organized fan teams to deliver water and fans to Red Army soldiers during their breaks. The "Young Boys Saturday" voluntary labor organized by the Children's League is mainly to help the families of the Red Army do what they can, and it is also very meaningful and influential.

In the battle to defend the Soviet area, many heroic and dedicated young heroes emerged from the Communist Children’s League, leaving behind many touching stories.

Anti-Japanese Children’s League (1937--1945) During the Anti-Japanese War, anti-Japanese Children’s League organizations were established in many anti-Japanese base areas under the leadership of the Party.

Under the leadership of the Youth National Salvation Association, members of the Anti-Japanese Children's League actively participated in the struggle against Japan and national salvation. Together with the anti-Japanese military and civilians, they participated extensively in various anti-Japanese activities and were very active. The tasks of the Anti-Japanese Children's League are: to propagate the fight against Japan; to detect the enemy's situation and catch traitors; to stand guard and deliver letters; to respect the anti-Japanese war officers and soldiers; to help the anti-Japanese subordinates in their work; and to learn and produce without stopping. From the black soil in the northeast to the loess plateau in northwestern Shanxi, from the northern Jiangsu region to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia border region, anti-Japanese children's league members were active everywhere. By 1940, there were 70,000 children's league members in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, 180,000 youth league and children's league members in the Northern Jiangsu Liberated Area, and 600,000 children's league members in the North China Anti-Japanese Base Area. They were the main force of the anti-Japanese children's league at that time.

Among them, the most active and outstanding ones are the Children's Corps of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region. They stand guard, catch traitors, and send intelligence. They use their young age and unnoticed characteristics to go deep behind enemy lines and complete their tasks brilliantly. . In the Shanxi and Hebei areas, there is still a story about the little sheepherding hero Wang Erxiao who introduced the Japanese into the Eighth Route Army encirclement. The Anti-Japanese Children's League of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region also carried out the "Five Nos Movement": do not lead the way for the enemy; do not send messages to the enemy; do not eat the enemy's candy; do not read the enemy's books; do not tell the enemy where the food is stored.

The Young Pioneers and Children’s League during the War of Liberation (1946--1949)

In August 1945, Japanese imperialism surrendered. After eight years of hard work, China’s Anti-Japanese War finally achieved victory. A great victory. Facing the fruits of victory, Chiang Kai-shek turned his gun and snatched wildly. The people will not allow the reactionaries to continue to dominate. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, after more than three years of liberation war, we finally overthrew the three mountains that were weighing on the Chinese people and achieved victory. A great victory in the War of Liberation.

In the People's Liberation War, the Young Pioneers and Children's Leagues in the liberated areas led by the party and the underground Young Pioneers in the Kuomintang-controlled areas all made their own contributions. In 1946, Chiang Kai-shek's reactionary troops attacked the liberated areas. The Children's Corps of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region and the Children's Corps of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Border Region conducted military drills, stood guard, rescued the wounded, and actively supported the frontline. At the same time, they also fought against landlords during the land reform movement in the liberated areas, guarded property, raised food and supplies, and did a lot of logistical work for the frontline generals. In enemy-occupied areas, the party's underground organizations established underground Young Pioneers organizations such as the Newsboy Guards and the Temuer Regiment. They secretly printed leaflets and posted slogans to publicize the revolutionary situation. They also sneaked into the heart of the enemy and provided intelligence to the People's Liberation Army.

During the War of Liberation, the Young Pioneers and children's league members grew up and exercised in the war, and truly achieved the training goals stipulated in the team charter when the Young Pioneers organization was established in the Shanxi-Suiyuan Border Region in 1946, that is, " Cultivate a generation of young children, improve their cultural and political levels, develop their learning skills and social knowledge, and cultivate talents for an independent, free, democratic, unified and prosperous New China."

Chinese Young Pioneers (1949 to present)

On October 1, 1949, the bright five-star red flag rose slowly in front of Tiananmen Square, and the Republic of China was born , the Chinese people have stood up since then! ·The birth of New China opened the way for the healthy growth of the generation of children and adolescents, and provided conditions for the smooth development of work for children and adolescents.

As early as January 1949, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China promulgated (the resolution on the establishment of the China New Democratic Youth League). In the resolution, the establishment of children's organizations in New China was listed as one of the four tasks of the regiment. In October, the Central Committee of the New Democratic Youth League of China officially promulgated (Resolution on the Establishment of the Chinese Children’s Team). In June 1953, it was renamed the Chinese Young Pioneers.

The Young Pioneers inherited the fine tradition of the Children’s League during the revolutionary war years and used the red scarf as their symbol, symbolizing the victory of the revolution.

Under the leadership of the party group, the Young Pioneers took "Always ready to fight for the cause of communism!" "Time, work hard and live plainly, don't benefit yourself at the expense of others, don't waste it, don't be greedy for petty gains and take other people's things" as the content of the "Three Musts and Three Don't Activities" to support socialist construction. In 1963, Chairman Mao issued a great call to "learn from Comrade Lei Feng." The Young Pioneers took active actions to learn from Comrade Lei Feng's spirit of serving the people wholeheartedly, doing good deeds without leaving their name, and not seeking self-interest but only benefiting others.

After ten years of civil strife, the First Plenary Session of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Youth League restored the name of the Chinese Young Pioneers, and the work of the Young Pioneers became active again, with the "We Love Science" campaign being carried out across the country. ", "Five Lectures and Four Beauties", "Learning from Lai Ning" and other lively, interesting and educational activities. As my country's reform and opening up further deepens, the work of the Young Pioneers has also developed during the reform, and it has been clarified that the work of the Young Pioneers should center on economic construction and focus on cultivating talents. The China Young Eagle Action, "Hand-in-Hand" mutual aid activities, and "Five-Self" learning and practice activities have shaped the excellent behavioral character of the Young Pioneers and cultivated the basic essential qualities of the Young Pioneers.