The World Knew the Long March Thanks to His Coverage
International Herald Leader  ( October 21-27, 2016 )

○  Sun Hua  ( Deputy Director and Secretary-General of China Center for Edgar Snow Studies )

Eighty years ago, American reporter Edgar Snow overcame cultural and ideological differences to describe the reality of what was happening in China to the rest of the world, particularly in his book Red Star Over China, Which provided a true account of life in the CPC-led revolutionary base area. In his book The Long March: The Untold Story, Harrison Salisbury stated that tens of thousands of Americans, including himself, read Snow’s book, which provided an initial impression of the CPC leadership, including Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De, and explained their goals and aspiration of national salvation, as well as the hardships they faced and their spirit of sacrifice.

In 1938, in an interview with a German reporter, Mao Zedong expressed his admiration and gratitude toward Snow: “At a time when the whole world had forgotten us, only Edgar Snow got to know us and told the outside world what was going on here. We will always remember the great help Snow gave to China.”

More than “China Hand” in the General Sense

During WWII, as American people and Chinese people were thinking “where can we find a force that can unite the anti-fascist and anti-militarist elements”, Snow and his works had a major influence on the Chinese and American peoples’ participation in the anti-fascist war. American historian David Lattimore said: “Only those who were in China could reflect on the impact of Snow’s Red Star Over China...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…” Snow’s Red Star Over China not only affected a generation of Chinese people, prompting a large number of patriotic youths to go to Yan’an and embark on the revolutionary path, 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. Bethune once wrote to his friends: “If you ask me why I went to China, please read Edgar Snow’s Red Star Over China and Agnes Smedley’s China’s Red Army Marches, then you’d share what I think.”

Edgar Snow was a journalist with political ambitions. He was destined to be associated with China due to his personality, and he was also destined to call for the establishment, development and restoration of China-US relations throughout his life. Snow wrote a letter to his father as early as 1929: “China is currently in a miserable state”, “China is in dire need of a reform leader, a pillar of outstanding strengths, and a down-to-earth idealist. He should have the ability to lead the Chinese people out of all corruption, decay, poverty, suffering, and national pain...”

The photo Snow gave to Soong Ching Ling as a gift, which is now displayed at the Soong Ching Ling Memorial Residence in Shanghai.

At the beginning, Snow thought it would be an “adventurous” trip to the “Red China”. After he spent some time with the Red Army, he gradually realized the causes and purpose of the Chinese Revolution. The change of Snow’s idea occurred after he saw China in his own eyes. He traveled to many places in China to conduct research and learn Chinese, and witnessed the drought, floods, and many desperate people, all of which were beyond his imagination. The change in his thinking was largely due to his deeper understanding of Chinese culture. He was more than a “China hand” in the general sense, and 9 out of the 11 books he wrote throughout his life were about China. In a certain sense, it was also China that influenced Snow, and people like Lu Xun and Soong Ching Ling contributed to Snow’s change. Lu Xun praised Snow in his letter to a friend: “Mr. S is sensible. Some foreigners love China far more than some compatriots themselves....” Snow believed that “Lu Xun is a key that taught me to understand China.” He said, “Chinese novels and philosophy are more valuable than thousands of pages of distorted reports by foreigners.”

Speaking with field visit, interviews and figures

Snow’s observation of China and his understanding of Chinese culture, especially his participation in the December 9th Movement, enabled him to aspire for the mysterious Central Revolutionary Base (Soviet area) back then. After successfully entering the area, Snow began his lifelong cause: telling the real stories in China to the West.

Snow’s interpretation of the Chinese communists in Red Star Over China is true. His portrayal of the CPC leaders was real, and he was extremely serious in asking questions about the CPC members. All these have added credibility to his book. He spent 4 months in the Soviet area since June 1936. Through field visits and interviews, Snow comprehensively and fundamentally described the lives and spiritual outlook of the Communist Party and the people of the Soviet area from different perspectives. Among them, Snow’s description of communists was based on the simple emotions of them and Snow’s close observation. He posed 80 questions to Mao Zedong. As he knew that Mao Zedong’s life was a rich reflection of an entire generation and an important guide to understanding China’s situation and development.

Of the 12 chapters of Red Star Over China, one is dedicated to the Long March, comprising the Fifth Encirclement Campaign, a nation emigrates, the heroes of Force Dadu River and across the great grasslands. Snow said: “A surprising fact of our time is that in the entire history of the South China Soviet area, no foreign observer has ever entered here. Therefore, 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 quoted figures unveiled in The Long March complied by the First Front Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army in August 1936: 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. “The Red Army’s Long March to the northwest was no doubt a strategic retreat but not a retreat in defeat. Because the Red Army finally reached the destination, and its core remained intact, and the soldiers’ moral and political commitment was as strong as ever. The communists think and apparently believe they are marching to the front line of resistance against Japanese aggression, which is a critical mindset that leads to the victory of the heroic march.”

“In some sense, this large-scale transfer is the biggest military tour publicity in history.” According to Snow. He believed that one day someone will write down this exciting expedition epic.

“The most famous chronicler of Chinese communism”

Snow’s coverage of the Long March and the Chinese Communist Party reached readers in the United States as separate reports at the beginning. The first was the Report from the Red China published in the American magazine Asia in February 1937. From July to November, The Autobiography of Mao Tse-tung and reports on the Long March were serialized. Snow became the “journalist who published exclusive news” in the Western media because he run coverage of China’s Red Army. In the United States, the media had very positive opinions of Snow’s Red Star Over China and other of his news works.

Theodore White, a senior American journalist, commented that Red Star Over China is “a classic of news coverage. Snow’s discovery and description of Chinese communism was an amazing achievement, just like Columbus discovered the Americas.” Newsweek commented: “Through the publication of Red Star Over China, his prophetic work on guerrilla warfare and its leaders in 1937, Edgar Snow immediately became the most famous chronicler of Chinese communism. His special relationship with Chinese leaders gave him an advantage that no other journalist could match, but this advantage was earned through his hard work.”

Red Star Over China facilitated mutual understanding between other countries of the world and China, and gave an impetus to the progress of the Chinese revolution, especially the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. It provided first-hand information for people of all countries to understand China, the CPC, and the Red Army. The book also aroused great interest from then US President Roosevelt, and he quickly became a fan of Snow. Later, he invited Snow to discuss China many times. He said: “I have been working with the two governments there. I intend to continue doing this until we can bring them together.”

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.”