Zhai Bozan advocated the culture of resistance

Author: Xu Zheng, School of Ethnology and Sociology, Minzu University of China

Zhai Bozan (1898-1968), a famous Chinese historian and Marxist historian, whose main works include "Courses in the Philosophy of History", "Outline of Chinese History" (vols. 1 and 2), "Collection of Treatises on Chinese History", "Series of Treatises on Historical Issues", etc., and edited the "Outline of Chinese History".

As a firm believer in Marxism, Zhai Bozan has devoted himself to the propaganda of the culture of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression since the day he joined the Communist Party of China, and the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" edited by him has played an active ideological guiding role in promoting the formation of the anti-Japanese national united front and contributed valuable spiritual wealth to the victory of the War of Resistance.

"Cultural mobilization was an important factor in winning victory in the War of Resistance"

The occurrence of the September 18 Incident put the Chinese people on the arduous course of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and also opened the prelude to the world anti-fascist war. On December 27, 1935, Mao Zedong made a report entitled "On the Tactics of Opposing Japanese Imperialism", which systematically expounded the Chinese Communist Party's policy of the anti-Japanese national united front, and pointed out: "Only the tactics of the united front are the tactics of Marxism-Leninism. "After the July 7 Incident, China entered the historical stage of the national War of Resistance and became the main battlefield in the East of the world anti-fascist war. On July 8, 1937, the Communist Party of China issued a declaration calling for the War of Resistance to the whole country, after which Mao Zedong issued articles such as "Principles, Methods and Prospects for Opposing the Japanese Offensive" and "Struggle for mobilizing all forces to win the victory of the War of Resistance", further expounding the Chinese Communist Party's policy of resistance.

In such a tense revolutionary situation, as a staunch Marxist and literate historian, Zhai Bozan saw with keen eyes the urgency and importance of cultural mobilization. In November 1937, Zhai Bozan published an article entitled "How to Mobilize Our Wartime Culture", in which he exclaimed: "We know that to ensure the victory of the War of Resistance, we need the advancement of the entire political, economic and even cultural lineup of the whole society, and then the strength of our War of Resistance can become a force with a foundation, a fountain, and never exhausted." This force not only depends on sharp weapons, but also on "enabling the masses of the people who use these weapons to have the most resolute skills and awareness of the war of resistance." In order to realize this task of educating the masses, it is necessary to launch the "general mobilization of the culture of the War of Resistance" and to launch the "new cultural lineup in wartime", because "cultural mobilization is an important factor in the victory of the War of Resistance".

In light of the situation of the all-out War of Resistance, Zhai Bozan pointed out that while mobilizing the vast forces militarily, it is also necessary to expand unity culturally, and he put forward specific suggestions: First, "popularize culture" and let culture "temper new contents and new lineups in the burning of the masses' combat consciousness." The second is "cultural collectivization," in which "all cultural groups and cultural people collectively educate and encourage the spirit of the people's war of resistance." The third is to "realize culture" and make culture a cause that is "closely related to the lives of the people in wartime." The fourth is to "make culture active", so that culture "roars in the war" and "emits the light of justice and humanity in the East", so as to "write the glorious history of our national liberation war".

Shortly thereafter, under the instructions of the CPC Central Committee, Zhai Bozan, Lü Zhenyu, Tan Pimo, and others successively organized the establishment of the Hunan Cultural Circles Anti-Enemy Support Association and the Hunan Branch of the Sino-Soviet Cultural Association. On March 15, 1938, the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" was launched, and Zhai Bozan served as the editor-in-chief. As a publication directly under the direct guidance of the Communist Party of China, the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" aims to publicize the Chinese War of Resistance and communicate with The Culture of China and the Soviet Union, covering political, military, economic, cultural and diplomatic aspects, and is one of the publications with the longest existence, the largest number of publications and the largest circulation during the Hunan War of Resistance. The highly politically theoretical commentaries and essays published in the journal, translations and monographs introducing Soviet culture, as well as poems, essays, and short essays published around the theme of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, had a wide social impact at that time, becoming "the only legitimate public opinion position of the Communist Party of China in Hunan" and playing an important role in the propaganda of the culture of the War of Resistance.

"Absorbing the experience and lessons of victory from the history of the struggle for the founding of the Soviet Union"

China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression is closely linked to the anti-fascist movement of the people of the world. Therefore, the cultures of various ethnic groups should infiltrate and influence each other, especially from the neighboring national cultures around China, so as to enrich the cultural system of their own nationalities. In the same year that he became editor-in-chief of the semi-monthly magazine Sino-Soviet Union, zhai Bozan's book "Courses in the Philosophy of History" was published for the first time, and he pointed out in the preface: "Our national war of resistance is a great and incomparable historical task, which will not only change Chinese history, but also change world history. Now that the Chinese people are resolutely carrying out this task, we are deeply convinced that this task will surely lead to the historical victory of its final decision with the support and solidarity of the advancing human race throughout the world, and that this victory will not be won by 'historical accident' but by 'historical necessity'. ”

Absorbing and learning from the Soviet culture and experience of struggle is not only because of the common goal of China and the Soviet Union in the cause of socialism, but also because of the only way for the people of all ethnic groups of the world to unite against fascism. In Why Do We Communicate Sino-Soviet Culture? In the article, Zhai Bozan deeply discussed the importance of communicating Sino-Soviet culture to promote the victory of the War of Resistance, pointing out: "Although the cultures of various ethnic groups have their own particularities, the so-called particularities here do not mean isolated development. This intercultural connection is embodied in: first, "to strengthen the deeper mutual understanding between the two major ethnic groups in terms of cultural communication and thus enhance the diplomatic relations between China and the Soviet Union, and to win greater sympathy and assistance from the Soviet Union for our War of Resistance"; second, "to absorb the experience and lessons of victory from the history of the struggle for the founding of the Soviet Union"; third, "to use the high cultural achievements of the Soviet Union to educate and train our new cadres and talents for the founding of the War of Resistance." At the end of the full text, Zhai Bozan emphasized: "We communicate With Sino-Soviet culture for the sake of victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and for the freedom of the country and the nation. ”

The semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" edited by Zhai Bozan has built a solid spiritual bridge for forging Sino-Soviet friendship and promoting the victory of the War of Resistance.

"Persevere to the end with the utmost patience and the highest enthusiasm"

In March 1938, in the inaugural issue of the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet", Zhai Bozan published a long article entitled "The Past and Future of the War of Resistance", in which he profoundly analyzed the historical process of China's War of Resistance and demonstrated the rationality and necessity of fighting a protracted war.

Zhai Bozan wrote in the text: "The struggle for national liberation is an arduous struggle and a great historical cause, and we must persevere to the end with the greatest patience and the highest enthusiasm" and "fight for the final victory of the War of Resistance with a protracted war of resistance." He pointed out that although the Chinese people" have suffered unprecedented disasters and misery, at the same time, from the tempering and experience of this practical life of fighting, we have gained incalculable and tremendous gains, and these gains have become the cornerstone of the Chinese nation to embark on a new historical era. These words, with their thousands of words, fully embody the firm belief of a Marxist.

It was in May of that year that Mao Zedong published a speech entitled "On Protracted War," which ideologically armed the whole party, the whole army, and the masses of the people, and strengthened the confidence of the Chinese people in winning the victory of the entire nation's war of resistance. From this point of view, the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" edited by Zhai Bozan and his editor-in-chief played a scientific guiding role in publicizing the CPC's anti-war policy and laid a broad popular foundation for the victory of the War of Resistance led by the CPC.

While positively propagating the belief that the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression would be victorious, Zhai Bozan bravely confronted the stubborn kuomintang forces and resolutely criticized the latter's behavior of suppressing and destroying the people's anti-Japanese organizations. In September 1938, Zhai Bozan published an article entitled "Protest against the Dissolution of Anti-Japanese Groups", in which he shouted: "The urgency of the current situation in China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression will no longer allow us to divide the forces against the Japanese fascist bandits into a single bit to deal with our own anti-Japanese youth and the anti-Japanese masses; on the contrary, we should use every ounce of our strength to deal with the fascist bandits." As the editor-in-chief of the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet", Zhai Bozan was repeatedly summoned by the Kuomintang reactionaries, and he was stubborn and unyielding in the face of persecution by the Kuomintang reactionaries, ensuring the continuous circulation of the "Sino-Soviet" semi-monthly magazine, and making outstanding contributions to protecting the solid position of the Communist Party of China's cultural war of resistance and publicizing the anti-Japanese national united front.

Due to various practical factors, the semi-monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet" was discontinued in 1940 and existed for only two years and nine months. In late February of the same year, Zhai Bozan arrived in Chongqing and worked with Guo Moruo, Hou Wailu and others at the Sino-Soviet Cultural Association, serving as the deputy editor of the monthly magazine "Sino-Soviet Culture", and continued to engage in the work of anti-Japanese cultural propaganda. On the occasion of the third anniversary of the July 7 Incident, Zhai Bozan published an article entitled "The Historical Principles of China's War of Resistance and its Development Logic" in Sino-Soviet Culture, which continued to propagate the Marxist materialist view of history and closely integrated it with the situation of the Chinese revolution. Under the special historical environment of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhai Bozan, with his profound arguments and strong penmanship, provided rich spiritual strength for safeguarding the anti-Japanese national united front, cultivating the advanced culture of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and promoting the development of the all-round War of Resistance and the protracted War of Resistance.

Source: Learning Times