–Mao Zedong, August 1, 1963
Good Eighth Company, famed far and wide.
Why so glorified? Strong will abide.
Serve the people, side by side,
Decades with pride.
Resist corruption, never hide,
Pure, undefied.
Thus named: Good Eighth Company, far and wide.
All PLA men, learn from their tide.
All soldiers and civilians, self-reliant, decide.
Fear no pressure, no force applied.
Fear no swords, no halberds bide.
Fear no ghosts, no demons glide.
Fear no emperors, no traitors preside.
Heroic sons and daughters, like pines and cypresses,
Tower to the skies, frost and snow they caress.
Discipline firm, like a strong fortress.
Military might, like thunder’s sharp press.
Politics first-class, ranked number one, no less.
Ideology sound, analysis to assess.
Analysis good, great success.
Where lies the bless? Unity’s prowess.
Soldiers and people united as one soul,
Dare all the world’s foes to make us fall!
Note
Written on August 1, 1963 (36th Anniversary of the PLA). Composed to honor Company 8 of Shanghai Garrison, named “Good Eighth Company on Nanjing Road” by the Ministry of National Defense on April 25, 1963. After 14 years stationed in Shanghai’s busiest commercial district (Nanjing Road), the company remained uncorrupted by bourgeois “sugar-coated bullets,” upheld hard work, frugality, and selflessness. Mao wrote this to praise their spirit and call on the whole nation to emulate them.
Miscellaneous Poems:
A classical Chinese form with irregular line lengths (mostly 3 characters here, ending with 7-character couplets), simple, rhythmic, folk-like.
Style of Three Character Classic:
Short, repetitive, memorable lines, echoing traditional Chinese elementary education rhymes.
Good Eighth Company:
A PLA company in Shanghai; symbol of incorruptibility, self-discipline, and revolutionary purity amid urban temptation.
PLA:
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army, praised for revolutionary virtues.
Soldiers and Civilians:
The poem elevates the company’s spirit to a national model.
Will Abide:
Core revolutionary virtue – steadfastness, loyalty, integrity.
Serve the People:
Foundational motto of the CCP and PLA.
Resist corruption, never defiled:
Metaphor for rejecting bourgeois decadence and temptation.
Pines and Cypresses:
Ancient Chinese symbols of steadfastness, longevity, and virtue in harsh conditions.
Frost and Snow:
Adversity, political pressure, hostile forces.
Strong Fortress:
Metaphor for iron discipline.
Thunder’s Sharp Press:
Symbol of swift, powerful military capability.
Demons/Ghosts/Emperors/Traitors:
Generic terms for all reactionary, imperialist, and anti-revolutionary forces.
Unity’s Prowess:
Mao’s core belief: unity of army and people is invincible.
Soldiers and people united as one soul:
Classic revolutionary slogan; climax of the poem.
Political & Social Allegory
- Nanjing Road temptation: Bourgeois ideology, Western influence, urban decadence.
- Good Eighth Company: Model for maintaining revolutionary purity amid peace and prosperity.
- National call: Emulate the company to resist corruption, strengthen unity, and defy external pressure.
《杂言诗-八连颂》
好八连，天下传。
为什么?意志坚。
为人民，几十年。
拒腐蚀，永不沾。
因此叫，好八连。
解放军，要学习。
全军民，要自立。
不怕压，不怕迫。
不怕刀，不怕戟。
不怕鬼，不怕魅。
不怕帝，不怕贼。
奇儿女，如松柏。
上参天，傲霜雪。
纪律好，如坚壁。
军事好，如霹雳。
政治好，称第一。
思想好，能分析。
分析好，大有益。
益在哪?团结力。
军民团结如一人，
试看天下谁能敌。
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