1965 film by Wang Ping
The East Is Red (), also known as The East Is Red: A Song and Dance Epic, is a 1965 Chinese film directed by Wang Ping. It is based on an opera production assembled by Zhou Enlai and presents an abridged history of the Chinese Communist Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Mao Zedong's leadership. The film traces the revolution from the May Fourth Movement to the Civil War against the Nationalist Party, culminating in the Communist victory and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). "The East Is Red" remains commercially available today on CD, video, and online platforms, often with English subtitles.
Background.
Historical context.
"The East Is Red" was previously a peasant love song that became a call to arms in the Anti-Japanese War. This song was also a paean extolling Mao. It was written in the early 1930s as a folk song. In 1938, the song was reworded in order to provoke people in the fight against the Japanese invaders. After the rise of Mao as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1940s, the song was reworked again by a teacher.
Inspiration and creation.
In 1960, the Senior General of the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department (GSD) Luo Peiqing visited North Korea, along with air force commander Liu Yalou. During their visit to North Korea, the Korean side performed a large-scale song and dance entitled "Three Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers", whose content was largely adapted from songs and dances during the war period. On their way back to China, Shenyang military area command also held a party and performed four revolutionary songs.
After returning to China, Liu Yalou had the idea of making a revolution-related artistic work by using the popular revolutionary songs among the public, which he thought could encourage the public during the difficult three-year period. By the end of 1960, the Air Political and Cultural Troupe sent songwriters including Zhang Shixie, Zhu Jianyuan, Yao Xuecheng, Chen Jie, etc. to integrate the songs. The script named The Glorious History was made and given to Liu Yalou. Later, suggested by Niu Chang, they renamed it "Revolutionary History Songs Singing" and started to show it to the audiences.
After Zhou Enlai saw "Revolutionary History Songs Singing" and "Singing Forward under the Banner of Mao Zedong", on July 30, 1964, Zhou convened the relevant officials at a meeting in Xi Hua Hall, Zhong Nan Hai, and made the final decision about launching the musical concert project, and this concert was named as "The East Is Red" during the meeting. On October 2, 1964, "The East is Red" was performed for the first time in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 15th anniversary of the National day. Wang Ping produced and directed the film. "The East is Red" was performed by little egret folk dance troupes.
According to the published articles by the main producers of "The East Is Red", including Chen Yading, An Bo, etc., individuals who took responsibility for drafting the basic format of the epic had to learn about Mao's works first and use Maoism as a red line of the project. Performers of the epic hung up quotations from Mao at rehearsal venues.
Plot.
"The East Is Red" depicts the history of the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong from its founding in July 1921 to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Detailed in the musical are several key events in CCP history, such as the Northern Expedition, the KMT-led Shanghai massacre of 1927, the Nanchang uprising and the formation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Long March, guerrilla warfare of the PLA during the Second United Front (during the Second Sino-Japanese War), the subsequent overthrow of the National Government of the Republic of China on Mainland China by the PLA in the decisive phase of the Chinese Civil War, and the founding of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949.
"The East Is Red" is divided into the following named stages: The prelude "Sunflowers Face the Sun", followed by "Dawn of the East", "A Spark Ignites a Prairie Fire", "Ten Thousand Crags and Torrents", "Beacon of Anti-Japanese Resistance", "Bury the Chiang Family Dynasty", and "The Chinese People Have Stood Up". Two additional scenes from the end of the play, "The Motherland Moves Forward" and "The World Moves Forward", were omitted from the film adaptation during filming under Mao's suggestion.
Film adaptation.
Not long after its premiere, Zhou had the idea of turning the stage performance into a film adaptation. In December 1965, Zhou Enlai invited the film artists of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), as well as members of the director group of "The East is Red", to the Great Hall of the People to hold a symposium on film shooting.
At the meeting, Jiang Qing expressed her own opinion: "I am very worried about turning this large-scale music and dance epic into a film, because "The East is Red" is not cohesive and coherent enough, the artistic effect is flat, and the revolutionary optimism is not prominent enough." Despite this, he proceeded with his decision, and three movie companies came together to film it. Wang Ping, co-director Li Enjie, and August First Film Studio. Principal cinematography finished on September 18, 1965. The film was released on National Day of 1965. The original play's six main sections depicting the history of the Communist Party remained, while some scenes were cut. The film was released on October 2, 1965.
Soundtrack.
In the film, these songs are accompanied by exaggerated acting and dancing. Many scenes involves dancing girls pointing AK-47s. Singers featured in the film include Wang Kun, Tseten Dolma, Hu Songhua, and Guo Lanying.
Analysis.
"The East is Red" was the first occurrence of Han Chinese and ethnic minorities in China dancing together on the same stage. Many ethnic minorities are depicted happily singing and dancing. Despite this narrative, minority ethnic groups have come into conflict with the state. "The East is Red" contains more than 30 songs in just over two hours, and many of these have been adapted from folk songs. "Deep Feelings" is adapted from the folk tune of the Yi nationality, the song of the Yueqin. In the prelude "Sunflowers Face the Sun", the sunflower motif represents Chinese people of all ethnic groups, with Mao Zedong as the sun.
Six stages.
The first stage, "Dawn of the East", starts with a long dance segment depicting the "Years of Suffering" preceding the PRC from subjugation under foreign influences and social divide. This stage borrows the folktale "River and River ()" from the soundtrack. The last song of the stage is "Workers, Peasants and Soldiers, Unite! ()".
The second stage, "A Spark Ignites a Prairie Fire", has four parts. The first part is the performance of "The Righteous Song (). "Autumn Harvest Uprising" is the main part of the show. "Meeting at Mount Jinggang" is a performance composed of three songs, in which the duet of female voice, "Pairs of Straw Sandals for the Red Army ()", uses double voice polyphony to give the front section the characteristics of Jiangxi folk songs. It features the songs "Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention ()" and "Fighting Against the Local Tyrants and Dividing the Land", which describes the people's complaints against their enemies.
The third stage, the song "Ten Thousand Crags and Torrents" highlights the Chinese Red Army of workers and peasants as they pass the time while trekking the difficult journey of the 9,000 km Long March through singing and dancing. The songs used in the song and dance program includes "Long March" and "Over Snow Mountain and Grass ()".
The fourth stage, "Beacon of Anti-Japanese Resistance", shows the plight of the Chinese people in the Second Sino-Japanese War since the Mukden incident, which consists of five parts. "Along the Songhua River ()" sets up the stage as it represents the fall of the northeast. This also indicates the opening of the Anti-Japanese War with a guerrilla song that uses rhythmic drums. The performance, "Mass Production", uses songs "Nanniwan ()", "Coming in February" and "Ten Songs in the Border Area" from the Yan'an mass production movement.
The fifth stage, "Bury the Chiang Family Dynasty", is composed of four sections. Following the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai Shek launched a civil war with the support of American imperialism against the Communists. Among them, the songs "Unity is Power ()" and "Not Afraid to Go to Jail ()" show that the CCP has vowed to come together and defend the oppressed people of China. "March Dance" and "A Million Heroes Crossing the River" express the party's quick victory over the Kuomintang through dance. The song "The Sky Above the Liberated Zone ()" celebrates the victory of the Communist army and represents the long-awaited liberation of the people of China. "The Occupation of Nanjing by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (人民解放军占领南京)" is the end.
The sixth stage, "The Chinese People Have Stood Up", introduced the singing of the national anthem "March of the Volunteers ()" and the song "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China ()". It starts with the song "Ode ()" and "Chairman Mao, I Wish You a Long Life ()" by Hu Songhua. After that, the following segments, "Ode to the Motherland ()" and "The Internationale ()" further praise the achievements of victory.
Related artworks.
"The Laud for the Chinese Revolution " () is a 1984 Chinese film directed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Movie Studio (namely the August First Film Studio), depicts the history of China, particularly under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, from 1840 (the Opium War) to 1984 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. This film is considered the second grand song-and-dance epic of the PRC with the support of the central government, following "The East Is Red".
"Road to Revival" (), produced by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese National Broadcasting Bureau, Political Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army and the Beijing City Government, is a 2009 Chinese film created for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the PRC.
References.
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