1944 On September 8, three days after Zhang Side's death, the Central directly under the authority held a memorial service for him on the playground at the foot of Phoenix Mountain in Yan 'an. Chairman Mao personally wrote an elegy "Salute to Comrade Zhang Side who sacrificed for the people's interests". At one o'clock in the afternoon, Chairman Mao stepped onto the platform with heavy steps and made a speech entitled "Serving the People".

Chairman Mao's speech was the key stage of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory. At this time, it is of special significance to clarify the purpose of the party and the people's army for stimulating people's fighting spirit and promoting people's unity. From then on, the phrase "serving the people" spread widely, which not only pointed out the direction for the party and the army, but also won the trust of thousands of people in Qian Qian. To this day, there is still a standard slogan in the ranks of the China army: "Comrades have worked hard!" "Serve the people!"