The spirit of Zhang Side
Zhang Side (1915-1944) was a soldier in the Guards Regiment of the CPC Central Committee, a force responsible for the safety of Mao Zedong and other senior CPC leaders. He joined the revolution in 1933 and took part in the Long March. In the Autumn of 1944, he and his unit were assigned to burn charcoal in the mountains of Ansai County, Shaanxi Province, to provide fuel for the revolutionary base in Yan'an. On September 5, he and some other soldiers were working on a charcoal kiln when it suddenly collapsed. At the last moment the young Zhang Side pushed a fellow soldier to safety, and he himself was buried and killed.
Zhang Side exemplified the mission of the CPC through his own deeds. Mao Zedong wrote an elegy "Salute to Comrade Zhang Side who died for the people" for a memorial gathering for this loyal soldier, and delivered a speech entitled "Serve the People." He said, "Comrade Zhang Side died for the people, and his death is indeed weightier than Mount Tai." He called on the whole Party and the whole army to learn from him and carry on Zhang's commitment to serving the people wholeheartedly.
The essence of the spirit of Zhang Side is living simply, working diligently, and being ready to die for the people.
张思德精神
张思德(1915—1944)是全心全意为人民服务的典范。1944年9月5日,他带领战士们在陕北安塞县执行烧炭任务时,即将挖成的窑洞突然塌方,他奋力把战友推出洞去,自己却被埋在窑洞,牺牲时年仅29岁。
张思德的行为和一生诠释了中国共产党的宗旨和共产党人的情怀。在张思德追悼会上,毛泽东主席亲笔题写了“向为人民利益而牺牲的张思德同志致敬”的挽词,并作了《为人民服务》的讲话,认为张思德同志是为人民利益而死的,他的死是比泰山还要重的,号召全党全军学习和发扬张思德为人民服务的革命精神。张思德精神的内核就是“全心全意为人民服务”的精神,具体说来,就是为人民利益勇于牺牲、任劳任怨、艰苦奋斗。