The Politics of Songs: Myths and Symbols in the Chinese Communist War Music, 1937–1949

1996 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 901-929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-Tai Hung
Keyword(s):  
French Revolution ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
National Anthem ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
War Of Resistance ◽  
Hearts And Minds ◽  
Tian Han

Nie Er (1912–1935), a young Communist musician from Yunnan, could not possibly have imagined that when he wrote this patriotic song (with lyrics by the left-wing writer Tian Han [1898–1968]) for the 1935 filmChildren of Troubled Times (Fengyun ernü) it would soon become one of the most popular tunes in China. The overwhelming success of the song reflected a nation, long frustrated by imperialist (especially Japanese) aggression, thwarted reforms, domestic armed conflicts, and government ineptitude, venting its anger and crying out for a solution. When the Japanese invaded China two years later, ‘The March of the Volunteers’ was rapidly transformed into the quintessential song of resistance against Japan, sung at schools, in the army, at rallies, and on the streets. The song was influential in capturing the hearts and minds of millions during China's eight-year War of Resistance against Japan (1937–1945); its impact, in the words of one contemporary song critic, was ‘similar to that of the “Marseillaise” [in the French Revolution]’. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in it adopted the song as the official national anthem.

The Chinese Communist Party and the Overseas Chinese

2019 ◽  
pp. 34-51
Author(s):  
Taomo Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Overseas Chinese ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Japanese Occupation ◽  
Chinese Youth ◽  
Ethnic Chinese ◽  
Political Networks ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party

This chapter examines the memoirs, diaries, poems, and theater scripts written by Ba Ren, an undercover member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and a writer, and those who used to work with him in the 1940s. It contends that the CCP was better able than its Nationalist rival to capture the hearts and minds of young overseas Chinese by expanding its political networks and promoting cross-ethnic alliances among the working class. In the 1940s, the CCP built its support base among the overseas Chinese through the education and publishing efforts of left-wing intellectuals like Ba Ren who traveled from Mainland China to Southeast Asia and worked as teachers and journalists in overseas Chinese communities. The subsequent rise of literacy and increasing availability of left-wing publications created a generation of revolutionary-minded ethnic Chinese youth. Through supplies, information, and refuge provided by these young people during the Japanese occupation, the CCP established underground offices in Sumatra, which were hidden behind the counters of pastry shops, Chinese medicine companies, soap factories, and wineries. It was the enthusiasm of these left-leaning youth that allowed openly active pro-CCP civic associations and political organizations to blossom during the Indonesian National Revolution.

The Struggle Between The Kuomintang And The Chinese Communist Party On Campus During The War Of Resistance, 1937–45

1989 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 300-323
Author(s):  
Hu Kuo–tai
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Mao Zedong ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
War Of Resistance ◽  
The Revolution

Between 1937 and 1945 higher education was one of the main arenas of struggle between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Both sides regarded it as an important area to be controlled. The Bureau of Investigation's 1951 report suggested that KMT support from youth in schools was “the key to success or failure.” The Chinese Communist Party also regarded the work of winning over intellectuals as vital for the Party's future. In 1939 Mao Zedong said that “without the participation of intellectuals victory in the revolution is impossible.” Thus, the two parties competed both overtly and covertly in colleges and universities to win the support of both staff and students.

A Province at War: Guangxi During the Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1937–45

1986 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 652-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Hutchings
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
New Type ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
War Of Resistance ◽  
The Way

On the 18 April 1936 General Li Zongren gave a stirring, patriotic interview to the Canton Gazette. In the current situation argued Li, China must stand and resist the Japanese since, “despite sacrifices, a war of resistance may pave the way for the regeneration of our nation.” He was later even more emphatic, ”… a war of resistance is essential for national regeneration.” These seem rather prescient remarks in the light of subsequent events; a new type of society did emerge in parts of China during the war against Japan. Perhaps it should be noted in passing that the form of regeneration expedited by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was nevertheless hardly what Li Zongren had in mind in 1936. Indeed, he felt able to endorse it only late in life.

Lu Hsün and the Communist Party

1960 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet C. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Chinese Revolution ◽  
Modern Chinese ◽  
Cultural Movements ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Lu Hsun ◽  
China Today ◽  
Cultural Hero

In terms of his impact on the young intelligentsia of China, particularly in the 1930s, and of the emotional symbolism as patriot and reformer with which his name is charged, Lu Hsün (1881–1936) was the most powerful figure in modern Chinese letters. For the last seven years of his life he was openly identified with Communist-led left-wing cultural movements in China. Today he is honoured by the Chinese Communist Party as the great cultural hero of the Chinese Revolution. His homes have become museums, jiis tomb a shrine. He is presented as a Communist in everything but name.

Hu Feng's Conflict with the Communist Literary Authorities

1962 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 102-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merle Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Literary Critic ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party

Hu Feng was a Marxist literary critic who for almost thirty years allied himself closely with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and left-wing groups. In 1955 the Chinese Communists launched an intensive nationwide campaign against him in which he was branded as everything from an exponent of bourgeois idealism to an agent of imperialism and of Chiang Kai-shek.

Flesh Searches in China

Asian Survey ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 325-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Gorman
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Communist Party ◽  
Chinese Communist Party ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
Chinese State ◽  
The Chinese Communist Party ◽  
The Relationship

This article explores the relationship between netizens and the Chinese Communist Party by investigating examples of “flesh searches” targeting corrupt officials. Case studies link the initiative of netizens and the reaction of the Chinese state to the pattern of management of social space in contemporary China.

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