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Why did Mao call on Chinese people to learn from the People’s Liberation Army in 1963?

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Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai, and other Chinese officials stand in uniform, holding up Little Red Books during a 1967 Red Guard rally in China. — Lin Biao At a 1967 Red Guard rally, Lin Biao (left) and Zhou Enlai publicly display copies of *The Little Red Book*.

In 1963, Mao Zedong called on the Chinese people to "learn from the People’s Liberation Army" (PLA) because he and Lin Biao had successfully transformed the military into an "ideal type" of Maoist organization that combined technical virtuosity with ideological purity.12

Following the Sino-Indian War in 1962, the PLA’s reestablished discipline and image made it a model for the rest of society to emulate. Mao and Lin viewed the "soldier-communist" as the ideal candidate for future leadership, believing that the army’s uniformity and discipline could transcend class divisions and ensure compliance with rigorous political standards. By promoting this campaign, Mao sought to expand the PLA’s political role and organizational authority, effectively using the military to counter what he perceived as "modern revisionism" within the party and state apparatus.13