Wu Ying: An Analysis of Cultural Construction in Anti-Japanese Base Areas Behind Enemy Lines during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

Marx pointed out in the Economic Manuscripts of 1857–1858: "The disintegration of certain forms of consciousness is sufficient to cause an entire era to perish." This fully demonstrates that culture possesses a tremendous driving force for revolution. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the culture of the base areas behind enemy lines similarly generated a massive driving force for military struggle and construction in all other fields. The emergence of this effect was thanks to cultural construction in the base areas—that is, during the period of the Total National War of Resistance from 1937 to 1945, the series of purposeful and organized activities of cultural creation, dissemination, and popularization carried out within the anti-Japanese base areas (such as Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan, Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia, Shandong, and Central China) established by the Communist Party of China (CPC)-led Eighth Route Army, New Fourth Army, and other anti-Japanese armed forces in Japanese-occupied territories. These activities were centered on serving the war effort, based on mobilizing the masses, and focused on shaping a revolutionary culture. This was a unique cultural practice conducted under extremely arduous wartime conditions to solidify the national spirit, mobilize the power of the masses, persevere in the protracted war, and strive for final victory.

During the War of Resistance, the CPC focused on mobilizing and uniting the people through culture. For the sake of the entire nation’s interests, and with tenacious ideals and faith, Chinese Communists gave full play to their powerful advantages in organization, propaganda, and mobilization to strengthen cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines. During this period, cultural construction in the base areas was consistently situated within a historical coordinate system characterized by a vast disparity between enemy and friendly forces and a fluctuating revolutionary process. Facing the Kuomintang's ^[1] military "encirclement and suppression" and cultural "encirclement and suppression," the CPC effectively carried out the "deepening of the rural revolution and the deepening of the cultural revolution," awakening the consciousness of the people nationwide. Simultaneously, the CPC led the people of the whole country in resisting the cultural aggression of Japanese imperialism, conducting a "resolute struggle against all ideologies opposed to the war of resistance, unity, and progress," directly propelling the Chinese revolution and the Chinese people to "gradually approach victory."

I. The Foundations and Conditions of Cultural Construction in the Base Areas Behind Enemy Lines During the War of Resistance

The emergence and development of any phenomenon are conditional; these conditions constitute the basis of its existence. Mao Zedong pointed out in On Contradiction that the development of things is the result of the combined action of internal and external causes. During the War of Resistance, cultural construction in the base areas flourished under extremely difficult conditions, becoming an important force for uniting hearts, boosting morale, and persevering in the war. Its foundation for construction was multi-dimensional, primarily reflected in five aspects:

(1) The strong leadership of the CPC was the most solid political foundation The CPC was the strongest leading force for cultural construction in the base areas during the War of Resistance. Throughout the entire process, the CPC always firmly maintained leadership and the initiative.

On May 3, 1937, Mao Zedong pointed out in The Tasks of the Chinese Communist Party in the Period of Resistance to Japan: "Under the present circumstances, without the political leadership of the proletariat and its party, the Anti-Japanese National United Front cannot be established, the goals of peace, democracy, and resistance cannot be realized, the motherland cannot be defended, and a unified democratic republic cannot be achieved." The CPC's leadership in cultural construction was primarily manifested in three areas. First, the formulation of a correct political line. The CPC formulated the line of Total War of Resistance and the strategy of Protracted War. The former involved "struggling to win over millions of the masses into the Anti-Japanese National United Front" and "struggling to mobilize all forces to win victory in the war of resistance," guiding the transition from local resistance to total national resistance. Simultaneously, relatively stable anti-Japanese democratic political power was established in the base areas. On March 6, 1940, to consolidate the United Front and unite all classes, and under the prerequisite of ensuring Party leadership, the CPC implemented the "Three-Thirds System" ^[2] principle for political power organization in the base area governments. Communist Party members, non-Party leftist progressives, and middle-of-the-roaders (representing the middle bourgeoisie and enlightened gentry) each accounted for one-third of the total personnel, facilitating a favorable situation of a joint dictatorship of several revolutionary classes. The implementation of this system effectively consolidated the United Front and expanded the anti-Japanese camp; advanced democratic politics in the base areas, realizing the practice of multi-party cooperation and political consultation; and effectively enhanced the governance efficiency of the base areas, protecting the basic rights of the people and winning broad support and trust. These policies and measures provided the fundamental political guarantee and directional guidance for cultural construction. Second, the formulation of clear principles and policies for cultural construction. In January 1940, after the war entered the stalemate stage, and in response to the erroneous rhetoric of Kuomintang diehards who denied the Party's cultural leadership and advocated for "One Doctrine," Mao Zedong explicitly proposed the New Democratic cultural direction of "national, scientific, and mass-oriented" in On New Democracy. This was the cultural program of New Democracy. It emphasized opposing imperialist oppression, upholding the dignity and independence of the Chinese nation, and requiring cultural forms to integrate with national characteristics (such as blending traditional art forms with modern content). It emphasized opposing feudal superstition, advocating for seeking truth from facts and the consistency of theory and practice, and inheriting the essence of traditional culture while "taking the essence and discarding the dross" ^[3]. It emphasized that culture should serve the laboring masses of workers and peasants and the war effort, and stressed cultural popularization and mass participation, such as the literacy campaigns in the border regions. These policies clarified the purpose and goals for cultural construction. Third, the establishment of the Anti-Japanese National United Front broadly united patriotic personages of all classes and strata (including enlightened gentry, intellectuals, and folk artists), forming a collective force for cultural construction.

(2) The unified efforts of the people for national salvation constituted a deep mass foundation Facing the total invasion of Japanese imperialism, the people in the base areas, under the leadership of the CPC, contributed money and labor, or at the very least, raised their voices in resistance, condensing patriotic passion and collective strength into a solid fortress. During this time, "military resistance" and "cultural resistance" converged into a three-dimensional tapestry within the torrent of the national war, and the mass foundation of the people's unified efforts for national salvation was deeply rooted. This was primarily due to three reasons. First, the CPC implemented land policies and economic reforms in the base areas, such as the reduction of rent and interest ^[4] and the development of production, which improved the lives of poor peasants and stimulated their enthusiasm and political consciousness. The initial improvement in economic status gave the masses the possibility and internal demand to participate in cultural activities. Second, the CPC carried out effective organizational mobilization through mass organizations such as the Peasant Association for National Salvation, the Women's Association, the Youth Association, and the Children's Corps, effectively organizing the scattered peasantry. These organizations were not only vehicles for production, front-line support, and armed struggle, but also excellent platforms and vital forces for conducting mass cultural and educational activities. Third, under the Party's propaganda, education, and organizational guidance, the people quickly awakened, and their cultural needs advanced with the times. The brutal war and the atrocities of the Japanese invaders stimulated a strong national consciousness and a desire for liberation. The people yearned to understand the war situation, learn skills, express emotions, and boost morale, providing powerful internal momentum and an audience foundation.

(3) The attention and support of the Party and government and the establishment of relevant organizations provided a strong organizational guarantee Given the "top-level design" and the support of the people, cultural construction also possessed three organizational pillars. First, Party organizations at all levels attached great importance to cultural work, establishing specialized agencies (such as propaganda departments and cultural committees) to lead and coordinate efforts. The Party dispatched a large number of cadres (including literary and art workers and intellectuals) to the base areas to engage in cultural construction, especially artistic creation; they became the backbone of these efforts. Second, the democratic governments in the base areas provided all possible support, viewing cultural construction as a vital task and providing policy support and material guarantees even under extremely difficult conditions. Third, numerous professional or semi-professional arts groups were established, such as the Lu Xun Academy of Arts ^[5], the Northwest Battlefield Service Corps, and various theater troupes and ensembles. These groups not only created and disseminated outstanding works but also went deep into the grassroots to perform and provide guidance, injecting new vitality into cultural construction.

(4) Flexible and effective forms and methods served as a methodological foundation The development of any phenomenon has its own laws. Cultural construction in the base areas also followed strong internal logic. First, proceeding from reality with diverse forms. To adapt to the rural environment and wartime conditions, various base areas created many simple, easy-to-implement cultural forms popular with the masses, such as wall newspapers, blackboard newspapers, kuaiban (rhythmic storytelling), yangge (folk dance), local operas (such as Qinqiang and Hebei Bangzi), street theater, "living newspapers" (topical agitprop skits), folk songs, winter schools, literacy classes, night schools, and newspaper-reading groups. These forms, which directly connected with the cognitive and receptive abilities of ordinary people, undoubtedly expanded the stage and influence of cultural construction, bridged the emotional distance with the laboring masses, and thickened the foundation for development. Second, content was closely integrated with reality. Propaganda focused on the central tasks of the war (mobilizing for the army, supporting the front, self-reliance in production, weeding out traitors, disintegrating enemy forces, etc.) and the vital interests of the masses (breaking superstitions, hygiene, freedom of marriage, women's liberation, etc.). This gave the culture a strong realistic relevance and inflammatory power. Third, the integration of intellectuals with workers, peasants, and soldiers. Intellectuals and artists were encouraged to go deep into the countryside and the military, learning from the masses and drawing on traditional forms to create works that reflected the war and reality, such as the novels of Zhao Shuli, Li Ji’s Wang Gui and Li Xiangxiang, and the opera The White-Haired Girl. These work greatly enhanced the appeal and inspiration of cultural construction.

(5) A specific historical environment and spiritual drive provided the psychological foundation The urgent sense of national peril, especially the crisis of "national extinction and racial annihilation," became a massive spiritual driver of creativity. Furthermore, in the midst of arduous struggle, the soldiers and civilians of the base areas demonstrated firm revolutionary conviction, a tenacious will to struggle, and revolutionary optimism. This spiritual outlook itself was a precious resource and a core component of cultural construction. Finally, there was a high value placed on the excavation and transformation of cultural resources, especially folk traditions (such as New Year paintings, paper-cutting, and storytelling), imbuing them with new anti-Japanese content to support the broader cultural mission.

In short, the foundation of cultural construction in the base areas was an organic whole. Party leadership was the political foundation; economic improvement and mass mobilization were the mass foundation; the establishment of leadership bodies and professional groups was the organizational foundation; flexible and realistic forms were the methodological foundation; and the consciousness of national peril was the historical spiritual foundation. The organic combination of these conditions allowed cultural construction to take root, blossom, and bear fruit in an extremely difficult environment, becoming a vital, combative, and influential component of the culture of the War of Resistance.

II. The Main Content and Characteristics of Cultural Construction in the Base Areas During the War of Resistance

Mao Zedong noted: "A given culture is the ideological reflection of the politics and economics of a given society." Cultural construction in the base areas was not only rich in content but also fully manifested the distinct cultural characteristics of that specific era.

(1) Principal Content of Cultural Construction in Responding Base Areas During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

The forms of cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines during the War of Resistance were flexible and their content was rich, with the core essence primarily reflected in four aspects.

First, culture served the War of Resistance. The fundamental objective of all cultural activities was to serve the national liberation war, awaken the masses, bolster morale, expose the enemy, and disintegrate the puppet forces. This was a full manifestation of the national character of culture in the base areas during the resistance period. In November 1937, Tian Jian composed the street poem "If We Do Not Go to War," a concise and powerful work of resistance poetry that was widely posted and disseminated on the walls of villages across the base areas. In 1938, the Second Branch of the Counter-Japanese Military and Political University (Kangda ^[6]) was established in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region; through a teaching model that "integrated the frontline with the rear," it primarily trained grassroots resistance commanders. Beginning in 1938, the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region utilized the winter agricultural slack season to launch the "Winter School Movement," popularizing literacy and resistance education with excellent results. The supplement of the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily published "Sketches of Japanese Invaders' Burning and Killing," which vividly exposed the atrocities of the Japanese military. In 1939, The Yellow River Cantata used the Yellow River to symbolize the spirit of the Chinese nation, blending folk songs and labor chants with Western symphonic elements. Its lyrics—"The wind is roaring, the horses are baying"—ignited the passion of the whole nation for the resistance and was hailed by Zhou Enlai as a banner of revolutionary culture that "roared for the resistance and voiced the cry of the masses." Supporting the Army Flower-Drum, adapted from traditional New Year paintings, expressed the "fish-and-water" ^[7] bond between the military and civilians in the base areas. The Yangge opera The Anti-'Mop-up' Yangge Dance combined mass song and dance with combat scenes to mobilize the public for counter- "mop-up" operations ^[8]. In 1942, the Central China Lu Feng Experimental Troupe created the historical drama A Family in Southern Anhui, which profoundly exposed the essence of the Kuomintang (KMT) hardliners as "fake in resistance, real in anti-communism." In 1943, the song "Unity is Strength," composed in the Jin-Cha-Ji Base Area to accompany a light opera of the same name, became a spiritual torch uniting the military and people. That same year, the Yan'an Lu Xun Academy of Arts transformed traditional themes to create the New Year painting Brother and Sister Clearing Wasteland, praising labor production and frontline support in the base areas. In 1944, the Gaojie Village Troupe of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region created the large-scale Yangge opera The Poor Rejoice, reflecting the liberation of peasants and the theme of supporting the front through production. All works of cultural construction in the base areas during this period possessed strong political, ideological, and combat qualities; they were simultaneously political manifestos, spiritual clarions, and cultural weapons for counterattacking erroneous words and deeds.

Second, cultural construction was people-centered. It targeted the broad masses of workers, peasants, and soldiers in the base areas, emphasizing the popularization, simplification, and universalization of culture to ensure it truly became the "people's culture." Mao Zedong pointed out: "Our culture is a people's culture; cultural workers must have a high degree of enthusiasm in serving the people, and they must link themselves with the masses instead of divorcing themselves from them. To link oneself with the masses, one must act according to the needs and the will of the masses. All work for the masses must start from their needs, not from any well-intentioned personal desires. ... In all work that requires the participation of the masses, if there is no conscious and voluntary action by the masses, it will fall into empty formalism and fail." In 1942, at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art, Mao Zedong specifically refined the service provided by base-area culture (including literature and art) into four categories: serving the working class (the leading class of the revolution); serving the peasantry (the broadest and most resolute ally in the revolution); serving the armed workers and peasants—namely the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and other people's armed forces (the main force of the revolutionary war); and serving the urban petty-bourgeois laboring masses and intellectuals (the allies and partners of the revolution). Looking at the entirety of cultural construction across the base areas from 1937 to the victory of the War of Resistance in 1945—including the "Winter School Movement" of the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region (called "bed-stove schools" ^[9] by the peasants), the "Gaojie Village Troupe" of Jin-Cha-Ji, the "Village-end Literacy Plaques" of Jin-Ji-Lu-Yu, the "Folk Song Reform Movement" of Central China, the "Blackboard Newspaper Popularization" of Shandong, the "Peasant Night Schools" of Jin-Sui, the "Street Poem Movement" of Shaan-Gan-Ning, the "Anti-'Mop-up' Yangge Dance" of Jin-Cha-Ji, the "Folk Tale Collection" of the Central China Lu Xun Academy of Arts, and the "Resistance Literacy Textbooks" of Shandong—these efforts covered education, drama, folk song, and propaganda posters. All directly served the masses, embodying the core concept of "culture for the people" and fully demonstrating the mass character of base-area culture.

Third, it shaped a new revolutionary culture. This aimed to break the shackles of feudal, comprador, and colonial culture to create a new-democratic culture guided by Marxism that possessed distinct national, scientific, and mass characteristics. For instance, the opera The White-Haired Girl integrated Hebei folk songs and traditional opera elements to tell the story of "Xi'er" resisting landlord persecution, criticizing feudal exploitation and class oppression; it was hailed as a classic of national art for showing how "the old society turned people into ghosts, while the new society turns ghosts back into people." The New Yangge Movement transformed traditional Yangge by removing vulgar content and creating new plays like Brother and Sister Clearing Wasteland and Husband and Wife Learn to Read, promoting the reduction of rent and interest ^[10] and the Great Production Movement ^[11]; the masses called these "our Yangge." The long poem in Xintianyou style, Wang Gui and Li Xiangxiang, utilized the Northern Shaanxi folk form to tell the story of two peasants resisting the landlord Cui Erye and joining the revolution. The woodcut print Rent Reduction Meeting, depicting peasants sitting in a circle discussing rent decreases, exposed the exploitation of the feudal land system and showcased the democratic reforms in the base areas; Ai Qing praised it as "the voice of the peasants carved with a knife," as it broke the colonial monopoly on art. The chapter-style novel The Story of the Tin Bucket followed a peasant guerrilla leader nicknamed "Tin Bucket" fighting the Japanese; using a traditional narrative structure and accessible language, readers called it the Water Margin of the border regions ^[12]. The play Feud of Blood and Tears told the tragic story of Wang Renhou, a Henan peasant family whose home was burned by the Japanese and who were extorted by KMT officials before fleeing to the border region; through scenes of "mourning at the grave" and "denunciation," it awakened the masses to a dual resistance against feudal oppression and colonial aggression. The new opera Liu Hulan, based on the true execution of a young girl in Wenxi County, Shanxi, fused Shanxi opera and folk songs to create the image of a young revolutionary whose "life was great, and death was glorious," while criticizing the feudal notion that "a woman’s lack of talent is a virtue." The woodcut The Ox Clearing Wasteland depicted a peasant leading an ox to reclaim land, accompanied by the slogan "self-reliance, and ample food and clothing," breaking the colonial stereotype of a "weak and impoverished China" and showcasing the spirit of self-reliance. These contents were a full manifestation of the scientific character of base-area culture.

Fourth, it regarded "cultural resistance" as a "second front" of equal importance to "military resistance," making cultural construction a spiritual weapon and ideological fortress for rallying the people, persisting in struggle, and consolidating the base areas. Whether it was the "spiritual mobilization" of The White-Haired Girl, the resistance education of the Jin-Cha-Ji "Street Poem Movement," the "recording and mobilization" of woodcut prints, or the Central China Lu Xun Academy's "Literature and Art to the Countryside" and the song Threshing Wheat (described as a "resistance mobilization order smelling of the soil"), these all transformed "resistance and national salvation" into a spiritual force that the masses could perceive and participate in. This directly served the consolidation of the base areas and the protracted war, demonstrating the coordinated advancement and clear effects of "cultural resistance" and "military resistance." This was a full manifestation of the epochal character ^[13] of base-area culture.

(2) Principal Characteristics of Cultural Construction in Responding Base Areas

Culture is a product of its era and reflects the characteristics of that era. Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The literature and art of any era can only produce a deafening sound when they are closely linked and share the same fate as the country and the nation." Cultural construction in the base areas during the War of Resistance embodied six distinct characteristics by "rising with the times, changing with the momentum, moving with the era, and resonating at the same frequency as the era."

First, it possessed clear political and combat qualities. All content centered on the theme of resistance—promoting national salvation, exposing atrocities, praising heroes, and criticizing defeatism. Simultaneously, it directly served the CPC's lines, principles, and policies for the resistance, such as the reduction of rent and interest, the Great Production Movement, and the construction of democratic political power. This combativeness was shown not only in resisting Japanese aggression and KMT reactionaries but also in the "self-revolution" of mass culture within the base areas. Mao Zedong noted: "Culture in the Liberated Areas already has its progressive side, but it also has its backward side. There is already a new culture of the people, but there are still vast feudal remnants. In the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region, with a population of 1.5 million, there are still more than one million illiterates and two thousand practitioners of sorcery; superstitious ideas are still influencing the masses. These are the enemies in the minds of the masses. We often find it more difficult to fight the enemy in the minds of the masses than to fight Japanese imperialism. We must tell the masses to stand up and struggle against their own illiteracy, superstition, and unhygienic habits." This was a manifestation of the self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-revolution of base-area culture.

Second, it was thoroughly mass-oriented and popularized. Literacy movements (winter schools, literacy classes) carried out large-scale cultural enlightenment to raise the masses' cultural level and political consciousness. All literary and artistic forms trended toward popularization, utilizing wall newspapers, blackboards, street poems, rhythmic storytelling (kuaiban), Yangge opera, "living newspapers" (skits), folk tunes, and woodcuts—forms the masses loved and understood. All cultural workers went deep into the masses; intellectuals and artists actively brought "literature and art to the countryside and the army," learning from the masses and creating works that reflected their lives and struggles.

Third, it possessed strong practicality and realism. Cultural creation was drawn from the heat of actual struggle (combat, production, supporting the front, democratic construction) and served the cultural and military needs of the national resistance. Furthermore, cultural activities were directly involved in actual work such as mobilizing recruits, supporting production, and disintegrating enemy and puppet forces. For instance, troupes were both propaganda teams and work teams; cultural work of a resistance nature was fused with military work.

Fourth, it utilized flexible and mobile organizational forms. To adapt to the mobile, decentralized, and resource-scarce environment of war, cultural construction in the base areas was highly flexible, utilizing mobile troupes, field service groups, and war correspondents. Organizations and individuals carried out activities in fields, at temple fairs or markets, and during breaks in battle. Opportunities to sit down and focus on study, creation, or performance in a fixed location for a concentrated period were rare and extremely precious.

Fifth, it combined inheritance, transformation, and innovation. On one hand, it critically inherited traditions, discarding feudal dregs and injecting new content into old forms (such as traditional opera and folk arts)—"putting new wine in old bottles." On the other hand, it innovated vigorously, creating new forms and works—such as the new opera The White-Haired Girl and the New Woodcut Movement—that reflected the new era, new characters, and new ideas.

Sixth, it integrated intellectuals with the workers, peasants, and soldiers. This "two-way journey" and "mutual elevation" endowed base-area culture with new energy for the era. Large numbers of intellectuals traveled to the base areas and, under Party leadership, integrated with the masses to reform their worldviews and become the backbone of cultural construction. By training literary and artistic mainstays from among the workers, peasants, and soldiers—such as "soldier writers" and "peasant poets"—it continuously channeled "fresh blood" into cultural work. This pushed cultural construction into the "fertile soil" of the masses, attracting rich "nutrients" and resulting in a completely new style and content—vastly different from the culture in KMT-controlled areas—successfully reshaping mass culture and revolutionary culture.

III. The Status and Contribution of Cultural Construction in Responding Base Areas in the Process of the Chinese Revolution and the War of Resistance

Mao Zedong pointed out: "A given culture (as an ideological form) is a reflection of the politics and economics of a given society, and in turn it exerts a great influence and effect upon the politics and economics of that society." Therefore, an analysis of the status and contribution of cultural construction in the base areas must be examined within the specific historical context of the time.

1. The Historical Status of Cultural Construction in the Base Areas Behind Enemy Lines within the Process of the Chinese Revolution and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

"For many years, we Communists have fought not only for a political and economic revolution in China, but also for a cultural revolution; all these goals are aimed at building a new society and a new state for the Chinese nation. In this new society and new state, there will be not only a new politics and a new economy, but also a new culture." This penetrating exposition by Mao Zedong in On New Democracy informs us that cultural construction during the New Democratic Revolution was one of the components of the "Three-in-One Theory" ^[14] regarding the new society and new state pursued through the tireless efforts of the entire Communist Party of China. When examined against the grand backdrop of China's New Democratic Revolution, the cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines occupied a critically important and indispensable position in the historical process of the Chinese revolution. This is because the cultural construction tasks of the CPC throughout the entire New Democratic Revolution were, during an eight-year span (the eight years of the full-scale War of Resistance), completed in this specific period. Cultural construction during this time played a vital historical role in bridging the past and the future and opening up new vistas. Mao Zedong Thought also developed and reached maturity during this period, becoming the guiding ideology for China's revolution and construction; this was the greatest achievement of cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines. Under the guidance of the cultural construction theory developed during this period, the base areas behind enemy lines directly became the "base camp" from which the CPC led the Chinese people to secure the great victory of the New China.

Furthermore, if we examine the cultural construction of the base areas behind enemy lines through three dimensions—as an important component of the overall construction of these base areas, as a reflection of the CPC’s role as the mainstay in the Chinese War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and as an organic part of the World Anti-Fascist War—it is not difficult to see that it was an essential part of base area development. It served as one of the two major "grips" (the "military resistance" and the "cultural resistance") by which the CPC led and won the great victory of the war, and it was an indispensable element of the World Anti-Fascist War.

2. The Roles and Contributions of Cultural Construction in the Base Areas Within the Historical Process of the Chinese Revolution and the War of Resistance

Lenin pointed out: "Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement." Mao Zedong also noted: "Revolutionary culture is a powerful weapon for the broad masses of the people. Before the revolution, it serves as ideological preparation; during the revolution, it is a necessary and important front within the general revolutionary front." The CPC’s comprehensive strengthening of cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines was precisely the forging of a "sharp sword" for the Chinese revolution and the War of Resistance. This "sharp sword" played a multi-dimensional and vital role in the historical process of the revolution and the victory of the war, making indelible historical contributions.

First, it established a powerful capacity for political mobilization. Cultural construction in the base areas effectively propagated the Party’s propositions and policies for the resistance, awakened national consciousness, and stimulated the patriotic enthusiasm and resolve of the broad masses. This provided a powerful spiritual impetus for mobilizing people to join the army, support the front, and persist in the struggle.

Second, it fully manifested an important function of ideological education. On one hand, through illiteracy eradication movements, cultural construction raised the educational levels and political awareness of the military and civilians in the base areas. On the other hand, it disseminated New Democratic thought and revolutionary principles, dispelling feudal superstitions and cultivating new values such as democracy, equality, science, and arduous struggle.

Third, it achieved the effects of consolidating the base areas and coalescing the hearts of the people. Cultural construction enriched the spiritual and cultural lives of the military and civilians, boosting morale in harsh environments and strengthening their confidence to overcome difficulties. It also promoted unity between the military and civilians, between officers and soldiers, and between cadres and the masses. This reinforced a sense of identity and belonging toward the base area regimes and the Communist Party, playing a positive role in consolidating and expanding the base areas. By April 1945, "The liberated areas of China led by the Communist Party now have a population of 95.5 million. Their territory extends from Inner Mongolia in the north to Hainan Island in the south; wherever the enemy has gone, there are activities of the Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, or other people’s forces. These vast liberated areas include nineteen major regions... Yan’an is the guiding center for all liberated areas." By the end of the war, compared to the start of the full-scale resistance in 1937, the land area, population, and military strength of the CPC’s base areas had fundamentally improved in both "quantity" and "quality." The revolutionary situation transitioned from being repeatedly subjected to the Kuomintang’s "encirclement and suppression" ^[15] campaigns prior to 1937 to having the capacity to "contend" with the Kuomintang. The revolutionary situation, "camps," and forces all underwent a fundamental turn for the better, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent nationwide victory. That the base areas could be consolidated and expanded so rapidly was due to the positive role played by cultural construction, alongside the military struggle and political and economic construction.

Fourth, it effectively disintegrated enemy forces and struck at the enemy and puppet regimes. Through leaflets, loudspeakers, and performances, cultural construction launched political offensives against Japanese and puppet troops, publicizing the state of the war and policies for the lenient treatment of prisoners, which served to demoralize the enemy. Simultaneously, by exposing the atrocities of the Japanese invaders and the treasonous acts of collaborators, it incited public hatred toward the enemy and isolated the puppet forces.

Fifth, it effectively trained cultural talent and gave birth to the prototype of New China’s culture. Cultural construction progressed in tandem with the war. Through the practice of war, a large number of outstanding cultural workers—such as writers, artists, journalists, and teachers—were trained and tempered, providing a backbone of strength for the cultural construction of the New China. Meanwhile, by exploring the path for a "national, scientific, and mass-based" New Democratic culture, it accumulated valuable experience and laid the theoretical and ideological foundations for New China’s socialist cultural construction. many classic works, such as the Yellow River Cantata and The White-Haired Girl, became foundational works of New China’s literature and art.

IV. Contemporary Insights from Cultural Construction in the Base Areas During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression

The practice of cultural construction in the base areas during the War of Resistance is a magnificent epic of "educating people through culture and casting the soul through literature." It has left behind valuable experiences—such as adhering to the Party's leadership, maintaining a firm stance on the side of the people, keeping close to the pulse of the times, respecting cultural laws, and building a strong talent pool—providing "nourishment for the roots" and "guidance for the soul" for the construction of a culturally strong country ^[16] in the New Era.

(1) Cultural construction in the New Era must adhere to the Party's leadership and be guided by the latest theoretical achievements of Sinicized and modernized Marxism.

During the War of Resistance, the CPC took "maintaining the Party's cultural leadership" as its core. By formulating programmatic documents such as the Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation and On New Democracy, it clarified the "national, scientific, and mass-based" cultural direction, providing the fundamental political guarantee and ideological guidance for cultural construction in the base areas. This historical experience profoundly teaches us: building a culturally strong country in the New Era requires unswervingly upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership and using Sinicized and modernized Marxism as a guide for action.

Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism and twenty-first-century Marxism; it is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in our times. Maintaining the Party’s cultural leadership is a major matter concerning the future and destiny of the Party and the state. Cultural construction in the New Era must persist in using Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as a guide, combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture. This ensures that cultural construction always advances in the right direction, allowing New Era culture to maintain its "Chinese characteristics" amid the intertwining of diverse ideological trends and to build an ideological consensus for national rejuvenation.

(2) Cultural construction in the New Era must persist in being people-centered and adhere to the fundamental stance of "serving the people."

The success of cultural construction in the base areas lay fundamentally in "placing one's seat squarely on the side of the ordinary people." From the "Winter School Movement" in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, which farmers called "bedside schools," to the Gaojie Village troupe in the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Border Region using local dialects to perform stories of peasant liberation; from the plain-spoken outcry of the street poem "If we don’t go to war" to the authentic record of the masses' lives in the woodcut Rent Reduction Meeting, cultural construction always resonated with the needs of the workers, peasants, and soldiers.

Cultural construction in the New Era must further deepen its "people-oriented" character. For literature and art to reflect the voice of the people, they must adhere to the fundamental direction of serving the people and serving socialism. Whether in creating works that "carry the scent of the soil, the dew of the morning, and the heat of life" or in building a public cultural service system that covers both urban and rural areas, we must be guided by the needs of the people, allowing cultural achievements to "fly into the homes of ordinary people" ^[17] and ensuring that the masses are truly participants and beneficiaries of cultural construction.

(3) Cultural construction in the New Era must stay close to reality, serve the times, and inject spiritual impetus into Chinese-path modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Cultural construction in the base areas always worked in synergy with the "military resistance," using the Yellow River Cantata to inspire the national will to fight and Brother and Sister Clearing Wasteland to mobilize production for the front, transforming culture into a "spiritual weapon." This historical experience demonstrates that cultural construction must remain in sync with the times and resonate with practice.

On the new journey in the New Era, Chinese-path modernization is the greatest reality, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the most magnificent theme of the times. Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. When culture prospers, the country prospers; when culture is strong, the nation is strong. Cultural construction needs to focus on the "top priorities of the nation" ^[18], revolving around major mandates such as rural revitalization, high-level self-reliance in science and technology, and common prosperity, creating more masterpieces that reflect the spirit of the times and lead social trends. We must empower social governance through culture, using the Core Socialist Values to mold souls and educate people, providing "spiritual kinetic energy" for Chinese-path modernization so that New Era culture truly becomes a "spiritual fortress for national rejuvenation."

(4) Cultural construction in the New Era must respect laws and uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, promoting the creative transformation of China’s fine traditional culture.

The wisdom of cultural construction in the base areas lay in the innovative thinking of "putting new wine in old bottles": using traditional yangko ^[19] to depict rent and interest reductions, employing New Year pictures ^[20] to promote supporting the army and cherishing the people, and borrowing Xintianyou ^[21] melodies to tell revolutionary stories. Inheriting Chinese culture is by no means a simple return to the past, nor is it blind exclusionism; rather, it is adhering to the principles of "making the past serve the present and foreign things serve China," practicing dialectical selection, and bringing forth the new from the old.

Cultural construction in the New Era must grasp the dialectical relationship between "upholding the fundamentals" and "breaking new ground." We must promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture. On one hand, we must dig deep into the ideological essence of traditional culture—such as "benevolence, people-based governance, integrity, and justice"—to activate its contemporary value. On the other hand, we must use digital technology, intelligent agents, and innovative communication to make cultural relics "come alive," make intangible cultural heritage "catch fire," make classics "become new," and make culture "shine," striving to ensure that Chinese culture radiates eternal charm.

(5) Cultural construction in the New Era must strengthen the development of the talent pool and solidify the "roots" and "soul" of cultural development.

The key to cultural construction in the base areas lay in the talent cultivation model of "integrating intellectuals with workers, peasants, and soldiers." Wave after wave of literary and art workers went deep into the countryside and the military, growing into "people’s artists"; meanwhile, "peasant poets" and "soldier writers" emerged among the masses through cultural practice. Intellectuals and the broad masses achieved a successful mutual empowerment in cultural construction.

Cultural construction in the New Era requires building an integrated talent system for "attracting, nurturing, using, and retaining" talent. Talent is a strategic resource for achieving national rejuvenation and winning the initiative in international competition. On one hand, we must attract high-end cultural talent to work at the grassroots level and use their professional knowledge to serve the masses. On the other hand, we must strengthen the cultivation of the public's cultural literacy, uncovering "grassroots cultural experts" to create a vibrant situation where "everyone is a creator of culture." Simultaneously, we must further improve the support mechanisms for cultural talent, providing support through funding, platforms, and policies so that talent "can stay and perform well." Only in this way can we provide a lasting impetus for cultural construction.

In summary, the cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines during the War of Resistance was a great pioneering undertaking by the CPC to combine Marxism with China's national conditions. The cultural construction in the base areas during the War of Resistance... [Text ends mid-sentence as per source]

Using the banner of "national, scientific, and mass-based" ^[22], a spiritual Great Wall was erected amidst a hail of bullets—the firm leadership of the Party anchored the direction, the majestic strength of the masses infused the foundation, and flexible forms were interwoven with fervent content. This was not only a magnificent practice of "cultural resistance" ^[23]; it further tempered the deep-set "cipher" of "cultivating people through culture and casting souls through culture." This proved that culture is both the adhesive for uniting the hearts of the people and the soft power for overcoming the enemy and achieving victory; it is both a mirror of the spirit of the times and a foreshadowing of the future path.

As the needle of history points toward the New Era, this period of extraordinary years still radiates vivid inspiration. From the lamplight in the caves of Yan'an ^[24] to the blueprint for a culturally powerful nation in the New Era, and from the innovation of The White-Haired Girl ^[25] to the vigorous rise of the "Guochao" culture ^[26], what has changed is the historical setting, while the core genes and "success codes" of cultural construction remain unchanged. That cultural wisdom conceived in the flames of war will surely be transformed into a source for activating fine traditional Chinese culture and coalescing the spiritual strength for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation today. The historical wisdom gained from cultural construction in the base areas behind enemy lines during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression will certainly radiate new brilliance on the new journey of Chinese-path modernization.

Source: Mao Zedong Thought Study (《毛泽东思想研究》) 2025, Issue 5 Editor: Huihui