How about Mao's favorite? The East is Red
Chinese Anthems from the Qing Empire to today's PRC
by fulltimestudent 13 Replies latest social current
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fulltimestudent
Yes, thnx for posting it Hortensia.
The song reminds me of the time when I was first disfellowshipped, and feeling a bit lost emotionally, (as XJW's tend to do at first), and I was searching out new connections (re-connections?) with the world around me. I got invited to a afternoon BBQ, and there were a lot of Chinese students in attendance, (most of whom I guess would stay in Australia). Its an aussie BBQ, so there was some beer being splashed around, and some of those students became a bit (smile) maudlin, and they started to sing Chinese songs - mostly from that era. By the time they got to 'The East is Red,' (and sung it a few times) tears were starting to stream down their faces. And, the narrator tells the story, while the song and dance routines supply the emotion.
I wondered what powerful emotions were at work, and what the song meant to them?
We should not see the song in isolation - it was part of a 1964 musical (song and dance) play, first performed in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The point of the play was to tell the story of the "People's" rise to power, under the the direction of the CPC - hence the lead place going to Mao.
Mao's influence in Asia (and, the world) is undeniable. Outside of China, his influence was (and remains) strong. While China has moved on from Mao thought, Maoists in Nepal have come to occupy a decisive position in Nepal.
In India, the longest running insurrection in the world, continues as Maoist, Naxalite guerillas continue to fight on against the Indian Army and Police.
Mao, influenced Aung san, the father of Aung San suu kyi, who was one of the founders of the Burmese Communist Party.
In Malaysia, native Chinese communist guerilla's near prevented the return of the British colonialists, who only defeated them by putting barbed wire around each village and town and turning them into mini-concentration camps.
In Peru, the Partido Comunista del Perú has been described as Maoist, particularly in its Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) incarnation.
Anyway, back to the East is Red. As I said, it was first performed in the Great Hall of the People. And this version seems to be some advertising for the performance.
The version you posted seems to follow on from this video.
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fulltimestudent
Digging around on Youtube I discovered what appears to be the full play.
The poster of the video set, provides these background notes:
"The East Is Red", premiered in 1964, was on a much larger scale and higher artistic standards. Therefore, it had a greater influence on the people.
The dance epic was created on the initiative of Premier Zhou Enlai. Employing the art forms of song, dance and poetry, it depicted the arduous struggle of the Chinese people to achieve victory from past hardships. The team of directors and choreographers was led by Chen Yading and Zhou Weizhi. Both of them were artists and administrators in art and literature circles. There were 29 choreographers led by Zha Lie involved in this work and rehearsals for the dance epic lasted for months. The premiere of the work and the following performances were all held at the Great Hall of the People.
"The East Is Red" featured a close-knit structure, powerful presentation, exquisite designs and superb artists. In addition to large amounts of new work, the dance epic also included many excellent songs and dances, which were created after the founding of the People's Republic of China and were popular among the people. These selections were arranged into the whole work appropriately. Nearly all of China's best-known singers, dancers and musicians at that time participated in the show --a total of 3,000 performers, including some art troupes from outside Beijing.
"The East Is Red" described the Chinese people's revolutionary history. The performance also served as a review of China's development in song and dance, as well as a review of the achievements of artists after the founding of the PRC. It became the most significant art performance since 1949. In 1965, "The East Is Red" was adapted into an art film and received accolades from both home and abroad. Even today, three decades after the premiere of the film "The East Is Red", whenever it is staged, it receives a warm welcome from the Chinese people.So here's the second part. The soldiers you see, seem to represent (I think) the soldiers belonging to local war-lords, whose power is smashed by Chiang Kai Shek's, Northern Expeditionary Army , and the role of gweilo's (cantonese for ghost people) can be seen by the European man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo82aevjRAI&list=PLB29C61A7DB96649F
As theatre, it can pack a powerful punch.
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Hortensia
so I did some more reading about these songs -- I didn't know that the March of the Volunteers was the official anthem before and after the Cultural Revolution, but during the Cultural Revolution Mao forbade the singing of that song and The East is Red became the national anthem for a while.
Thanks for sharing your BBQ story. I noticed in China that the Chinese like to sing together -- at least every meal with them ended in drinking and singing -- and quite often they sang patriotic songs. Once they asked us to sing some typical American songs and we were stymied at first. Then one of our group sang a Mexican patriotic song. After that we got it together and sang a few American folk songs.