What Are the Four Great Spirits of the Chinese Nation（2）

Li Fang

II. The great spirit of struggle

This year marks the centenary of the May Fourth Movement. After 100 years, the pulse of China's youth continues to beat through time and space, as strong as ever. Youthfulness does not age, and youthful passion never dies. On May 4, 1919, in an hour of national crisis, thousands of young Chinese who loved their country asked, with deep reflection, the question of where China was going. They shouted, "Chinese territory must not be forfeited and Chinese people must not bow their heads," and "Annul the Twenty-One Demands and refuse to sign the Treaty of Versailles." Their passionate patriotic expression exploded into the May Fourth Movement, which drew the attention of millions of people. Like the first clap of spring thunder, the May Fourth Movement awoke Chinese people's belief in fighting for the future of the nation and sparked the pursuit of a new culture and fresh ideas, and became the strongest voice of that era.

The passage of time continues, and 100 years have gone by. Although the tempest and rallying cry of the May Fourth Movement are gone, the movement's spirit of patriotism, progress, democracy, and science has been immersed in the blood, sweat, and tears of the Chinese people, surging into a mighty tide of reform and becoming a landmark of the Chinese national spirit. This spirit has inspired the Chinese people's endless struggle to save the nation from destruction, preserve national dignity, and rally national strength.

Heroes are born of struggle in times of great misfortune. All those who fought for the independence and liberation of the Chinese nation, who fought to free the Chinese nation from foreign colonization and aggression, and who fought tirelessly to create a new path of development so that the Chinese nation could control its own destiny, should now in modern times be hailed as national heroes and the pride of our country. They demonstrated a kind of patriotic sentiment that compels people to share responsibility for the fate of the nation; a sense of national integrity that empowers people to look death in the face and never yield; a heroic mettle that instills people with the courage to fight to the bitter end; and an unyielding and indomitable belief in victory. This kind of sentiment, integrity, mettle, and belief embody the Chinese people's great spirit of struggle.

A nation that respects history and remembers the past should not forget the importance of struggle, and this is even more the case for a country striding forth toward the future and prosperity. In times of peace, when the smoke of war has cleared and peace has been restored, we must remember that it is because of the unrelenting resistance and constant struggle of the Chinese people that China is now independent, our nation is prosperous, and our people enjoy happy lives.

Sports carry forward the Chinese people's dream of a strong, prosperous, and reinvigorated nation.

In 1981, China's reform and opening up entered its fourth year. It was a time when boosting people's morale and building consensus was much needed. In November of that year, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the World Cup for the first time. Over the years that followed, the women's team redoubled their efforts and won gold in the Olympics and the world championship, miraculously snatching the gold medal five times in a row. Even more thrilling than the championships was the spirit of struggle displayed by the team members, who through diligent training and tenacious competition were able to subdue their opponents and amaze their spectators. The inspiring motto of "learn from the women's volleyball team and reinvigorate the Chinese nation" reinforced the love of country for countless people across China.

This strength of spirit has not only emerged in sporting highlight moments, but has also shone through the clouds of fate in times of crisis. In 2008, China was struck by the Wenchuan earthquake, which was the single most destructive earthquake with the most widespread impact and most difficult relief efforts since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. During the bitter fight against this natural disaster, the Chinese people were united as one with a shared purpose and relied on their own efforts with unfailing perseverance, thus demonstrating the dignity and beauty of humanity in the greatest sense.

It is not hard to see that behind every creation, every effort to surpass an objective, and every attempt to stand firm amidst hardship, there exists the strength of spirit. The spirit of a nation is forged through the hard work and struggle of its people in responding to challenges.

The spirit of struggle runs through the course of the Chinese people. Everything that we have today is a crystallization of our wisdom and, even more so, a result of our hard work. Over 40 years of uninterrupted reform, 70 years of constant effort, and 5,000 years of continuously spurring ourselves onward; from beginning a new epoch to entering a new stage, and from standing at a new starting point to ushering in a new era, the Chinese nation has strived tirelessly forward. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the Chinese people's spirit of struggle on multiple occasions. "Happiness is attained through struggle." "Struggle itself is a kind of blessing." "The new era is an era of people striving." Xi's interpretation of struggle as a blessing is the most powerful call to all Chinese people to work for realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.

The indomitable spirit of struggle permeating the soul of the Chinese people is a powerful source of aspiration for advancing China's revolution, development, and reform. Socialism was established through action, and the new era will be no different. The new era belongs to people who strive; it is the era in which dreams come true. Struggle is the only way to realize our dreams. For myriads of ordinary people, the Chinese dream is the most rousing ideal, and "I struggle, therefore I am happy" are the most moving words. The Chinese dream is the goal, and struggle is the most tangible way to achieve it. Xi Jinping's concept of struggle as a blessing says to every person that, as we endeavor to create this great era, we are also creating happy and fruitful lives for ourselves. In the new era, we must always maintain the spirit of struggle, and strive with endless and indomitable energy toward further progress in China's reform and opening up and the goal of realizing socialist modernization and national rejuvenation.