Comrade Mao Zedong made a report on “Reforming Our Study” to a caucus in Yan’an. The report elaborated the principle of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with the actual practice of the Chinese revolution, criticizing the subjectivism style sharply and highlighting the importance of “seeking truth from facts”. Mao called on the Party to set store by investigation and study, and establish Marxist style harboring the unity of theory and practice. He pointed out in the report, “I advocate reforming the learning methods and system across the Party. The twenty years since the establishment of the Communist Party of China has witnessed the increasing combination of the universal truth of Marxism-Leninism with the actual practice of the Chinese revolution. For a hundred years, the finest sons and daughters of the disaster-ridden Chinese nation fought and sacrificed their lives, one stepping into the breach as another fell, in quest of the truth that would save the country and the people. This moves us to song and tears.  It was not until the First World War and the October Revolution in Russia, however, that we found Marxism-Leninism, the best of truths, the best of weapons for liberating our nation. And the Communist Party of China has been the initiator, propagandist and organizer in the wielding of this weapon. As soon as it was linked with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, the universal truth of Marxism Leninism gave an entirely new complexion to the Chinese revolution. However, as for the fusion of the two factors, we still have a shortcoming, and a very big one too, that is, no attention is paid to the current situation, the study of history, or the application of Marxism-Leninism. The way many of our Party members study Marxism runs directly counter to Marxism. It follows that there are two opposing attitudes when learning about Marxist-Leninist theory. First, there is the subjectivist attitude. This attitude goes back on the unity of theory and practice, a basic tenet of Marxism. With this attitude, a person studies Marxist-Leninist theory in the abstract and without any aim. He goes to Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin not to seek the stand, viewpoint and method with which to address the theoretical and tactical issues of the Chinese revolution but to study theory purely for theory’s sake. He does not shoot the arrow at the target but shoots at random. A good number of our Party members are doing research work but have no interest in studying either the China of today or the China of yesterday and confine their interest to the study of empty “theories” divorced from reality. Many others are doing practical work, but they too pay no attention to the study of objective conditions, but often rely on sheer enthusiasm and substitute their personal feelings for policy. Such kind of style can only hurt themselves if it used for self-discipline; harm others if it is used to educate others; and do harm to the revolution if it is used to guide the revolution. In short, this subjectivist approach which is in contrary to science and Marxism-Leninism is a formidable enemy of the Communist Party of China, the working class, the people and the nation; it is a manifestation of impurity in Party spirit. Second, there is the Marxist-Leninist attitude. With this attitude a person will not chop up history. It is not enough for him to know ancient Greece, he must know China; he must know the revolutionary history not only of foreign countries but also of China, not only the China of today but also the China of yesterday and of the day before yesterday. With this attitude, one studies the theory of Marxism-Leninism with a purpose, namely, to blend Marxist-Leninist theory with the actual movement of the Chinese revolution and to seek from this theory the stand, viewpoint and method with which to solve the theoretical and tactical problems of the Chinese revolution. Such an attitude is one of shooting the arrow at the target. The “target” is the Chinese revolution, and the “arrow” is Marxism-Leninism. To take such an attitude is to seek truth from facts. “Facts” are all the things that exist objectively, “truth” means their internal relations, that is, the laws governing them, and “to seek” means to study. Such an attitude is one of seeking truth from facts and not of currying favor by claptrap. It is the manifestation of Party spirit, the Marxist-Leninist style of uniting theory and practice. It is the attitude every Communist Party member should have at the very least.” In the report, Mao Zedong also made the following proposals: (1) We should place before the whole Party the task of making a systematic and thorough study of the situation around us; (2) as for China’s history in the last hundred years, we should assemble qualified persons to study it, in cooperation and with a proper division of labor, and thus overcome the present disorganized state of affairs; (3) as for education for cadres whether at work or in schools for cadres, a policy should be established of focusing such education on the study of the practical problems of the Chinese revolution and using the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism as the guide, and the method of studying Marxism-Leninism statically and in isolation should be discarded. In conclusion, Comrade Mao stressed that “we have made many detours. But error is often the precursor of what is correct. I am confident that in the context of the Chinese revolution and the world revolution, which is so intensely alive and so richly varied, this reform of our study will certainly yield good results.” The report and the two articles, “Rectify the Party's Style of Work” and “Oppose Stereotyped Party Writing”, are one of the must-read documents on the rectification movement and Comrade Mao Zedong’s basic works on the construction of Party style and style of study. This report is included in Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung: Volume III.