Although China and Zimbabwe are thousands of miles apart, the traditional friendship that binds the two peoples is deep and strong. During the Zimbabwean national liberation struggle, the people of the two countries fought side by side and forged an unforgettable comradeship. I was very touched to hear that many Zimbabwean freedom fighters who had been trained by the Chinese side in China and at the camp in Nachinguia, Tanzania, still hum songs such as "Three Disciplines, Eight Points of Attention".

-- Signed article published in Zimbabwean media, "Let China-Zimbabwe Friendship Bloom More Brilliantly" (November 30, 2015)

Further reading:

"Three Disciplines, Eight Attentions" is known as the "first song of the red classic", which has been sung for many years and can be heard on many major occasions. From October 1927, when the "Three Bays were reorganized", the "Three Major Disciplines" were proposed, to October 1947, the "Instructions of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Headquarters on Re-promulgating the Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention", the formation and development of the "Three Major Disciplines and Eight Attentions" sung in the song took 20 years. The "three major disciplines and eight points of attention" are an important guarantee for implementing the party's line, principles, policies, and the fulfillment of various tasks, and are an important factor in the army's combat effectiveness. It has played an important role in strengthening army building, forging closer relations between the army and the people, strengthening the unity of officers and men, and winning victory in the revolutionary war.

Strengthen discipline, and the revolution will be invincible. As a famous military song of the people's army, "Three Disciplines, Eight Attentions" has been written into their works by three American journalists, including Snow, Smedley and Salisbury. Snow was interviewing in Yuwang County, Gansu Province, and heard Xu Haidong and the Red 15th Army led by him singing this song, believing that this was an important reason why the Kuomintang army could not defeat the Red Army. When the Red Army first arrived in northern Shaanxi, it caused panic among the common people; But only a few months later, the local people affectionately called this team "our army". "Iron discipline, iron army, iron combat effectiveness", along with the song deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

The reason why the Zimbabwean people are familiar with this Chinese military song is that as early as the 60s of the 20th century, in the course of Zimbabwe's struggle for national independence and liberation, the Chinese side provided selfless assistance to the Zimbabwean side. A group of people in the Zimbabwean "People's Liberation Army" have received Chinese military training, and they have learned the strategies and tactics of the Chinese army, as well as Chinese revolutionary songs, and have understood the spirit of Chinese revolutionaries. According to the recollection of Zimbabwean linguist Peng Weini, the most widely circulated revolutionary song in the army that year was the "Three Disciplines, Eight Points of Attention," which played a considerable role in boosting morale, increasing cohesion, and broadly uniting the masses.

On April 18, 1980, the day of independence of the Republic of Zimbabwe, China and Zimbabwe established diplomatic relations. Over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have always understood, supported and helped each other, and the friendly and cooperative relations have developed smoothly and steadily, and the bilateral practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results. China-Zimbabwe relations can be called a model of China-Africa solidarity and cooperation.

In December 2015, Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Zimbabwe, his first visit. In this article published before leaving, Xi Jinping took the Zimbabwean freedom fighters singing "Three Disciplines, Eight Points of Attention" as an example to recall the unforgettable comradeship-in-arms formed by the people of the two countries fighting side by side during the Zimbabwean national liberation struggle, which is precisely to show that the traditional friendship between China and Zimbabwe has a long history and endures strength, and also to express that China will never forget its old friends.

To look back on history is to look forward to the future. "China and Zimbabwe should not only be good friends in politics, but also good partners in development." As Xi Jinping pointed out, as true all-weather friends, China and Zimbabwe should turn China-Zimbabwe friendship into more of a driving force for deepening practical cooperation and promoting common development and prosperity. "The friendship between China and Zimbabwe stems from the cultural tradition of sincerity, friendship, affection and righteousness between the two countries, from the basic principles of foreign relations such as independence and mutual respect that the two countries jointly follow, and from the common mission of the two countries to develop their economies and improve people's livelihood."