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Eight Points of Attention Wikipedia

The Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention is a military doctrine that was issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong and his associates for the Chinese Red Army, who were then fighting against the Kuomintang. The contents vary slightly in different versions. One of the major distinctions of the doctrine was its respect for the civilians during wartime. The following version is obtained from Stephen Uhalley (1975).

The three rules enjoined

• prompt obedience to orders,

• no confiscation of peasant property, and

• prompt delivery directly to authorities of all items confiscated from warlord|landlords.

The eight points were:

• Replace all doors when you leave a house

• Return and roll up the straw matting on which you sleep

• Be courteous and polite to the people and help them when you can

• Return all borrowed articles

• Be honest in all transactions with the peasants

• Pay for all articles purchased

• Be sanitation|sanitary, and especially establish latrines a safe distance from people's houses

These injunctions were usually complied with, and came to make the Chinese Red Army a distinctive army in China and an exceptionally popular one. The attitude of the Three Rules and the Eight Points heavily contrasted with the Nationalist Kuomintang armies led by Chiang Kai-shek, who were fighting the Chinese Red Army in the Chinese Civil War. For example, Nationalist armies tended to board in civilian houses without permission, tended to be rude and disrespectful towards the civilians, or sometimes even confiscated material from the peasants in order to gain supplies. The Chinese Red Army however, under the Three Points of Discipline and Eight Points of Attention requested permission to take supplies and to board at houses instead, and any confiscation of peasant property were exceptions and were promptly punished. It was common after a confiscation of items from warlords that the items would be redistributed among the people, in addition to supplying the Chinese Red Army. As a result, the peasants tended to spread disinformation whenever the Kuomintang arrived, while showing the Chinese Red Army hospitality whenever they arrived at villages.

This contrasting doctrine in comparison with the Kuomintang inevitably became one of the major reasons for winning most of their support, and thus the victory of the Chinese Red Army over the Kuomintang in 1949.

Last Modified:   2005-11-04