"Spiritual civilization and physical barbarism" is Mao Zedong's research on sports. These two sentences highly summarize the connotation of education. They call for strengthening the comprehensive education of teenagers' spirit and physique, cultivating successors with strong physique, sound personality, excellent academic performance and full of vigor, and striving to achieve the grand goal of national prosperity, national rejuvenation and people's happiness in the continuous struggle from generation to generation.

Slogan source

Mao Zedong loves sports. As early as when he was studying in Changsha No.1 Normal University, he paid special attention to the exercise of physique and will. He believes that the purpose of exercise is not only to strengthen the bones and muscles, but also to strengthen the will; Not only for health, but also for defending the country. Advocating "educating its spirit and barbarizing its body". He often takes cold bath, wind bath, rain bath, sunbathing, mountaineering, camping, hiking and other activities, and also creates his own "six-segment brocade" gymnastics for exercise.

On April 19 17 1 day, Mao Zedong published a famous article "Sports Research" in New Youth under the pseudonym of "Twenty-eight Painters", calling on young people in China to be "spiritually civilized and physically savage". He also pointed out: "The national strength is weak, the martial arts style is sluggish, and the national physique is getting worse and worse. This is a very worrying phenomenon. " He believes that the function of sports is to strengthen bones and muscles, increase knowledge, adjust feelings and strengthen will, which embodies Mao Zedong's early sports thought of "a strong country in fitness".

People's Sports Publishing House reprinted this article "Sports Research" on 1958, and this slogan has since become an inspirational slogan for China people to actively exercise.