On 8 September 1944, at a memorial meeting in Yan'an for
张思德, a soldier killed when a charcoal kiln collapsed, Mao Zedong gave a short speech later published as 《
为人民服务》. In it he quotes Sima Qian: a death for the people is
重于泰山, 'weightier than Mount Tai'. The speech also made
五湖四海 'from every corner of the land' part of political language.