Reviving Red Classics
Party Building (February 2019)

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the publication of Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China in Chinese, the People’s Literature Publishing House published a new version translated by Dong Leshan. As the first record of a Western journalist interviewing the CPC and the Red Army, this book opens a window for the Chinese and even the whole world to understand CPC and its strenuous effort to rejuvenate the country. It is of historic significance and meaning to present the classic to readers again after over eight decades.

Re-reading this book reminds us where we come from.

Red Star Over China records the revolutionary spirit of the Chinese communists, shining like a radiant red star over the tens of thousands of miles along the journey.

Of the 12 chapters, one is dedicated to the Long March, comprising the Fifth Campaign, a nation emigrates, the heroes of Tatu and across the great grasslands. Snow said: “Before, foreigners were writing the Soviet areas in southern part of China based on second-hand information. Now some important facts are proven, which clearly explains why the Red Army is supported by people.” He unveiled the figures: Out of a total of 368 days en route, 235 were consumed in marches by day, and 18 in marches by night. Leaving only 44 days of rest over a distance about 5,000 miles, or an average of one halt for every 114 miles of marching. The Reds crossed 18 mountain ranges, 5 of which were perennially snow-capped, and they crossed 24 rivers. They passed through 12 different provinces, occupied 62 cities and towns, and broke through enveloping outmaneuvering 10 local warlords. He regarded it as one of the greatest feats in global military history, and changed the term “strategic major retreat” into “Long March” for the first time. He thought the soldiers’ moral and political commitment was as strong as ever throughout its march to the northwest: “The communists think and apparently believe they are marching to the front line of anti-Japanese invasion, which is a critical mindset that leads to the victory of the heroic march, and in some sense, this large-scale transfer is the biggest military circuit publicity in history.”

As President Xi Jinping put it: “the victory of the Long March is the victory of the ideals and faiths of the Chinese communists…A nation that forgets where it comes from has no way out. No matter where we are and what great feats we achieve, we must carry forward the great spirit of the Long March and forge ahead fearlessly in the Long March of the new era.”

When we re-read the book today, learning the first-hand information presented to the world by Edgar Snow, we better understand what is means to remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind.

Re-reading Red Star Over China teaches us how to tell the stories of China

Since June 1936, Edgar Snow had spent four months in the Soviet area. Through field observation and interview, he was able to understand the life and spiritual outlook of the communists and life of people there holistically from different angles, adding credibility to the book.

For instance, what were the Chinese communists like? If they wear long beards, made noises with their soup, and carried homemade bombs in their briefcase. How did the red dress? Eat? Play? Love? Work? Edgar Snow’s nonfiction writing was natural, simple, sincere and vivid.

His description of many revolutionaries is particularly down-to-earth.

"I met Mao soon after my arrival: a gaunt, rather Lincolnesque figure, above average height for a Chinese, somewhat stooped, with a head of thick black hair grown very long, and with large, searching eyes, a high-bridged nose and prominent cheekbones. My fleeting impression was of an intellectual face of great shrewdness, but I had no opportunity to verify this for several days. Next time I saw him, Mao was walking hatless along the street at dusk, talking with two young peasants, and gesticulating earnestly. I did not recognize him until he was pointed out to me — moving along unconcernedly with the rest of the strollers, despite the $250,000 which Nanking had hung over his head."

In Edgar Snow’s writing, the image of Mao Zedong is vividly standing in front of you.

John S. Service, an American diplomat in China during the 1930s, said: “As a journalist, Snow has made (and kept making) unparalleled contribution to help Westerners know and understand the seismic changes going on in China…He was regarded by many Westerners the friend and interpreter of China.”

Re-reading Red Star Over China reinforces our faith to follow the leadership of the CPC

The book has caused great sensation, inspiring multitudes of young people to join the revolution. It has become the common memory for a whole generation, and it still plays an important role in contemporary society.

The American historian Owen Lattimore said: “At a time when people feel politically depressed, Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China is like a flame shooting to the sky, breaking the dark night…”

The book not only affected a generation of Chinese, but also attracted Henry Norman Bethune, Dwarkanath S. Kotnis among other anti-fascist warriors who came all the way to China to support the Chinese people in their fight against the Japanese invaders.

Snow’s journey to Northwestern China started from the Yan Garden, Yenching University, where he came back to sort the materials and write the book. After the PRC was founded, he came back to Peking University in June 1960. Four years later, he visited PKU again.

On 19th October 1973, part of Snow’s ashes were buried by the Weiming Lake at Peking University. As he wished: “I love China. I would like a part of me to remain there after death, like it always did during life.”

Why was Snow so sentimentally attached to China? It’s the heroic chivalry of the Chinese communists to fight for people’s liberation and even sacrificing their lives that touched him.

As the name of the book implies: it is like a glorious and radiant “red star”, always shining over the vibrant new China.

(The author is Sun Hua, Director of China Center for Edgar Snow Studies, Professor of Peking University)