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It's an excellent resource as
This is an essential text in the study of modern China. Edgar Snow was a precursor to today's embedded journalist and traveled with the Red Army during the Chinese Civil war in the 1930s. He assembles an invaluable narrative from the men and women he encountered such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. It's the closest thing to a first-hand biography of Mao that we have, providing valuable insight into the people and the early history of today's Communist Party of China.It's an excellent resource as recounts much of the national mythology of the Communist Party in a clear, concise manner. Snow tells the story of the Long March and the crossing of the Luding Bridge, pieces of which are enshrined in the Military Museum of the China People's Revolution in Beijing.
Anyone who seriously wants to make a study of today's China owes it to themselves to read this book.
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A great piece of writing, and a great example of investigative journalism. A fascinating story told with warmth and humility. Definitely worth the effort - trying to understand modern China without understanding the Chinese Revolution is like trying to understand modern Europe without understanding the world wars.
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The portrait of Mao Zedong watches over Beijing's Tiananmen Square, but it's still impossible to know the man behind the myth. Nearly four decades after his death, China's modern leaders invoke his name at their own risk. Consider two of the most popular English-language biographers of the Great Helmsman.
Journalist Edgar Snow wrote "Red Star Over China" in 1937, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was hardly known in the West. His Mao is a hero: both a shrewd thought leader a
By Katrina HamlinThe portrait of Mao Zedong watches over Beijing's Tiananmen Square, but it's still impossible to know the man behind the myth. Nearly four decades after his death, China's modern leaders invoke his name at their own risk. Consider two of the most popular English-language biographers of the Great Helmsman.
Journalist Edgar Snow wrote "Red Star Over China" in 1937, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was hardly known in the West. His Mao is a hero: both a shrewd thought leader and the "No.1 'Red bandit'", a daring outlaw with epic adventures under his belt. It's a winsome combination of brawn and brains.
By 2005, when Jung Chang and Jon Halliday published "Mao: The Unknown Story", the CCP had moved away from Maoist policies, but stuck to the line that he was 70 percent good and 30 percent bad. Their book presents a Mao who is much closer to 100 percent evil. He lacks ideals and his political theory is muddled. His success as a leader depends on a flair for intra-party politics. The authors also take care to diminish his achievements: their account of the Long March sees the young Mao carried in state on a sedan chair, rather than roughing it with the troops.
It's not hard to explain the difference in perspective. Snow wrote under Mao's supervision: sections dealing with his early life were submitted to Mao for revisions. He was a leftist dedicated to the war against fascism, and Mao was a worthy leader of the Chinese battle. Jung knew the CCP as the party which had oppressed her family for three generations. Her co-author was an historian, but more significantly also her presumably sympathetic husband.
The works share a basic premise: ignorant readers want to hear the truth. The opening chapter of "Red Star" sets out Snow's starting point: "there was no greater mystery" than changing China. He offers more than 70 unanswered questions on Mao and China to show how much was still unknown. The title of "The Unknown Story" is a giveaway; the authors' driving motivation was the conviction that Mao was still not widely understood.
The authors judged correctly: a lack of information and the extremes of his life left ample room for different versions of Mao's story. Both were considered insightful at publication. After all, even the most determinedly neutral telling would encompass everything from the foundation of a modern superpower to the orchestration of the Great Leap Forward, a development programme which ended with mass starvation.
Today, there are still many Maos - some heroes, some villains and some a mixture of the two. Despite the ambiguity, Mao remains a potent symbol. He is built into the infrastructure of modern China: his portrait hangs over Beijing; his corpse still lies in state; many towns and cities have Mao monuments; and in every part of the country his face adorns yuan notes. This is not going to change any time soon. The CCP probably cannot, and perhaps does not want to, divorce itself from its great leader.
Perhaps the plasticity of the image contributes to its durability. The Chinese Communist government need not abandon Mao, because there is always a plausible version of him who embodies any possible line. When Bo Xilai was a rising star in the CCP, he made use of Mao-era songs and revolutionary slogans.
Bo was disgraced and had disappeared from sight by the time Xi Jinping became president early in 2013. But Xi has called on the memory of Mao with a 'mass line' campaign to encourage party members to listen to the masses, and to pay attention to the Chairman's condemnation of extravagance and corruption.
It's an attempt to anchor the new generation of leaders in party history. But it's a risky to take that strategy too far: any positive associations are not easily divorced from the less pleasant memories. Mao's legacy was - and is - volatile.
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The only question is what is and is not valid.
Snow's most exciting bit of journalism, the telling of the tale of the Battle of Luding Bridge, was reported secondhand to him, and almost certainly an exaggeration of actual events. And it becomes suspicious when the Kuomintang are so uniformly evil, and the communist partisans so uniformly virt
There's no question that Snow's account is fantastic, and he has a journalist's knack for setting the scene, telling the story, and sketching the characters.The only question is what is and is not valid.
Snow's most exciting bit of journalism, the telling of the tale of the Battle of Luding Bridge, was reported secondhand to him, and almost certainly an exaggeration of actual events. And it becomes suspicious when the Kuomintang are so uniformly evil, and the communist partisans so uniformly virtuous. I've never heard of an army on earth-- let alone a desperate, starving, put-upon band of largely untrained soldiers-- that behaves as well as Snow claims the Red Army did on the Long March.
I have little sympathy for the warlords of prerevolutionary China, and, despite the horrors that would be visited upon Red China in the '60s and '70s, everything I've read suggests to me that during the revolution, Mao was quite legitimately a brave, honest, idealistic freedom fighter. But I'd like to read something a bit less hagiographic.
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Snow has a bias but he acknowledges it. He writes clearly a
This book documents an incredible scoop at a pivotal and historic moment - for China and for the world. When Snow visits the North-West Soviets in 1936 he is given a remarkable and exclusive intimacy with the Chinese Communist Party and many of its most famous members and leaders, with whom he discusses personal backgrounds, Communist politics, military strategy and great achievements - in particular the already near-mythical Long March.Snow has a bias but he acknowledges it. He writes clearly and cogently about everything he sees and through fantastic good luck he meets some of the most important figures in modern Chinese history at one of the most pivotal moments of the 20th century.
To improve this book it could be revised to change Latin script/phonetic Chinese, although there is already a guide - and there could be a better map included, the one in this version really isn't that helpful!
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Edgar Snow snuck across battle lines in late 1936, and became the first foreign reporter who lived with, and interviewed the Chinese communist rand and file, leaders, and Mao himself over a four-month period. Red Star over China is his account of interviews, observations, and a few personal hair-raising experiences. A unique snapshot in time showing his impressions of the communists and what they wanted him to take away from his experience. Despite some prose weaknesses, many of which ar Summary:
Edgar Snow snuck across battle lines in late 1936, and became the first foreign reporter who lived with, and interviewed the Chinese communist rand and file, leaders, and Mao himself over a four-month period. Red Star over China is his account of interviews, observations, and a few personal hair-raising experiences. A unique snapshot in time showing his impressions of the communists and what they wanted him to take away from his experience. Despite some prose weaknesses, many of which are difficult to avoid in a work that attempts to cleave closely to original interview responses, the book retains its value and is essential for anyone interested in better understanding modern Chinese history or the early years of Chinese Communism.
Strengths and weaknesses
As the first foreign report's account of the communists after the Long March, Snow's interviews and observations provided not only valuable information on the development, status, thinking, and propaganda of the communists to contemporary audiences, it also provides those of us with the benefit of historical context and other sources the opportunity to see where his reports on the communists ended up not being fully correct. While the passage of time does give valuable clarity in some regards, the present can also cloud the past, and his reports on the communist movement long before it dominated the country provide refreshing and unexpected insights to most of us who have a more jaded view based on evils it perpetrated in later ears. Communism, like many other movements that ended up falling into excess and evil, started from idealistic and largely positive motivations. Snow's account provides the modern reader a useful reminder of this.
Some reviewers have criticized Snow's account for being overly positive, even to the point of hagiographic and naive. His presentation of the communists, especially in contrast to the nationalists, is certainly in their favor. And it may be that he did not see their evils during his four months among them because his interviews were scripted and his trips were curated. It would be unwise to take everything in the book as gospel truth, and he himself freely admits in several places where his information is sketchy or he is reporting second-hand accounts. The 1968 edition of the book provides numerous notes and indications where subsequent events or material proved the original inaccurate, and this should not be the sole source of information for someone interested in Chinese communism pre-WWII.
One further weakness of Snow's work for the general reader is that he relies too heavily on names and numbers. The endless names of people and places (especially in a romanization no longer used) is tedious, difficult to remember, and not helpful in getting a broader understanding of the period for someone not already familiar with the key players. Snow's long transcriptions almost verbatim of several of his interviews with Mao that form the central few chapters also suffer as they devolve into a long recounting in semi-heroic style (which he acknowledges) of the Red Army. Snow's readability and usefulness to the modern reader would benefit from a more liberally edited approach. However, the approach taken in the book does more accurately present the original wording, and so is valuable as roughly equivalent to a primary source.
Personal Takeaways:
- The communists were mostly young, under thirty, and most of their military was even younger, with a large number of them under 20 and as young as 14-16.
- The communists lost about 75% of their forces during the long march, which lasted over a year and covered 10,00 km (equivalent to walking across the United States and back)
- The communists, at least as portrayed by Snow based on his interviews and observations, were notable for a variety of reasons: the ground troops were enthusiastic, even passionate, about their cause; their armies paid for food, didn't steal, and didn't rape; they managed to operate on a shoestring budget; their leaders eschewed personal wealth and ostentatious displays of privilege.
- In conflict with the Moscow-trained communist leaders, Mao felt that the communist revolution in China had to start with the rural peasants, rather than the urban workers. Because the urban workers were primarily in cities where foreign countries held concessions and military power, the urban revolution would be much harder to achieve; and by contrast, as the poor were heavily taxed, often fell into debt, and were frequently abused by passing armies, they had a greater reason to revolt. And as a rural country, any national movement would have to include the large mass of rural peasants anyway.
- The communist cause was further one that would be attractive to any rural peasant. According to Snow, the communists took any land that was not farmed by the owner and redistributed it to common use; reduced taxes on farmers from 50-60% to 10%; and trained rural peasants to read (as well as in Communist propaganda).
- In addition, Communists banned prostitution, opium, and foot-binding, while establishing local-level democratic elections, universal suffrage, free universal education, and the right for women to freely decide whom to marry.
- (personal reflection, not explicitly stated in the book.) The nationalists were somewhat limited in their abilities to implement social reform because of their political choices and reality. Much of China, including several entire provinces, were ruled by independent warlords who had no real or lasting allegiance to the Nationalist government. The Nationalist leadership depended on the continued support of these warlords and of the wealthy land-owning classes to maintain their government, so any social reforms would have met with the opposition of the main support structures of the government and almost certainly in break-aways and power grabs. Later, as the communists staked out a radical land reform position, any Nationalist social reforms would be even more difficult as they would legitimize the Communist positions and cause even greater alarm among the wealthy political classes. Thus Is would be only after eliminating the Communists and consolidating their political position that the Nationalist government could enact social reforms (even if it had wanted to, which was unclear but dubious).
- The Communists, at least at the time of Snow's interviews, were consistently supporting a united front against Japan, rather than continued civil war. They offered multiple times to work under the direction of the national government to achieve that goal, and even made credible actions to that end. This was in contrast to the Nationalists, who felt that eliminating the communist threat was more existential than the Japanese threat, which would be pushed back eventually. Also, the communist claim was perhaps a bit disingenuous, as they clearly intended to continue their proletariat revolution as soon as the Japanese threat was eliminated and continued to conduct effective propaganda campaigns throughout. So it is not surprising that the Nationalists continued to oppose the communists, even if it meant that the communists would thereby win the political campaign (suggesting unity against a foreign invader is inevitably going to be more appealing than conducting a civil war while a foreign invader takes more land).
306-Red star over China-Edgar Snow-History-1937
Barack
2021/01/23
" Red Star over China " was first published in the United States in 1937. It describes the Chinese Communist. It is one of the most influential books about the Western world in the process of understanding China, and it is also one of the most representative books in the Western world that sympathizes with the power of Red China in the 1930s.
Edgar Snow was born in Kansas City, Missouri, US in 1905 and died in 1972. He studied at
306-Red star over China-Edgar Snow-History-1937
Barack
2021/01/23
" Red Star over China " was first published in the United States in 1937. It describes the Chinese Communist. It is one of the most influential books about the Western world in the process of understanding China, and it is also one of the most representative books in the Western world that sympathizes with the power of Red China in the 1930s.
Edgar Snow was born in Kansas City, Missouri, US in 1905 and died in 1972. He studied at the University of Missouri and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is a journalist and is well-known for books and articles about Chinese communism and the Chinese communist revolution. He was the first Western journalist to give a comprehensive introduction to the history of the Chinese Communist after the Long March and the first Western journalist to interview many Chinese Communist leaders including Mao Zedong. Representative works: " Red Star Over China " etc.
Table of Content
PART ONE: IN SEARCH OF RED CHINA
PART TWO: THE ROAD TO THE RED CAPITAL
PART THREE: IN "DEFENDED PEACE"
PART FOUR: GENESIS OF A COMMUNIST
PART FIVE: THE LONG MARCH
PART SIX: RED STAR IN THE NORTHWEST
PART SEVEN: EN ROUTE TO THE FRONT
PART EIGHT: WITH THE RED ARMY
PART NINE: WITH THE RED ARMY (Continued)
PART TEN: WAR AND PEACE
" During my seven years in China, hundreds of questions had been asked about the Chinese Red Army, the Soviets, and the Communist movement. Eager partisans could supply you with a stock of ready answers, but these remained highly unsatisfactory. How did they know? They had never been to Red China. "
The investigation of the Chinese Communist and its early leaders has made Snow a symbol that foreigners cannot go around studying the early history of the Chinese Communist in New China. Looking at it today, some of the posterity may have a deeper understanding than him, but we usually only remember the first one. What's more, at that time a comprehensive point of view, to study the Chinese Communist is a very dangerous thing, Snow able to overcome the difficulties, lived in China for so long, that to find true courage is indeed admirable.
" The Communists claimed to be fighting for agrarian revolution, and against imperialism, and for soviet democracy and national emancipation. Nanking said that the Reds were only a new type of vandals and marauders led by "intellectual bandits." Who was right? Or was either one? "
The conflict of interest makes the two parties inevitably attack each other. We, as descendants, looks very easy to distinguish right from wrong, but who live in the era of the flood of the guys who, in fact, it is difficult to distinguish the merits and demerits of the various claims. Spend more time, investigate more, draw conclusions cautiously, and don't jump to judgments.
" Even the simplest points were disputed. Some people denied that there was such a thing as a Red Army. There were only thousands of hungry brigands. Some denied even the existence of soviets. They were an invention of Communist propaganda. Yet Red sympathizers extolled both as the only salvation for all the ills of China. In the midst of this propaganda and counterpropaganda, credible evidence was lacking for dispassionate observers seeking the truth. Here are some of the unanswered questions that interested everyone concerned with politics and the quickening history of the Orient. "
For the same thing, some people support it, and some people oppose it. The supporters are conclusive, and the opponents can also give many reasons. In the end, the loudest speaking is the result. If the Chinese Communist no clutter, after a century up to today, and along the way made so many astonishing miracles, who in turn will remember those pioneers do?
" Since then it had been a crime punishable by death to be a Communist or a Communist sympathizer, and thousands had paid that penalty. Yet thousands more continued to run the risk. Thousands of peasants, workers, students, and soldiers joined the Red Army in an armed struggle against the military dictatorship of the Nanking regime. Why? What inexorable force drove them on to support suicidal political opinions? What were the fundamental quarrels between the Kuomintang and the Kungch'antang ?* "
He took a huge risk and went deep into the jurisdiction of the Chinese Communist. The situation is unknown, life and death are unknown. Almost no one does not cherish their lives. Many people do such things for a reason. The reason that prompted them to do this is also the core of the vitality of the Red Army and the Chinese Communists.
" What were the hopes and aims and dreams that had made of them the incredibly stubborn warriors—incredible compared with the history of compromise that is China—who had endured hundreds of battles, blockade, salt shortage, famine, disease, epidemic, and finally the Long March of 6,000 miles, in which they crossed twelve provinces of China, broke through thousands of Kuomintang troops, and triumphantly emerged at last into a new base in the Northwest? "
An organization, or a State, in the early days, experiences the more difficult test, which fortunately kept it down low probability. But once it can survive these hardships, the higher it will reach in the future. If you can survive the extremely bad plight. Then in good times, you can use your wisdom and courage to achieve faster and better achievements. So we say, the weak experience of suffering was destroyed, and the strong experience of suffering, although to a beating, but its spirit is more powerful.
" Threats of Japanese conquest had provoked great demonstrations of the people, especially among the enraged youth. A few months earlier I had stood under the bullet-pitted Tartar Wall and seen ten thousand students gather, defiant of the gendarmes' clubbings, to shout in a mighty chorus: "Resist Japan! Reject the demands of Japanese imperialism for the separation of North China from the South!" "
Judging from the comparison of all aspects of hard power at the time, Japan was almost invincible. The young people still yearn for the prosperity and revitalization of the country and nation. From the perspective of a mature adult, they may find their ideas only ridiculous. But if everyone is wise to protect themselves, our country and nation would have long been annihilated in the long river of history.
" We all knew that the only way to leam anything about Red China was to go there. We excused ourselves by saying, "Mei yu fa-Tzu" —" It can't be done." A few had tried and failed. It was believed impossible. People thought that nobody could enter Red territory and come out alive. "
For those who don't understand Red China, they naturally have fear and fear, just as we have reservations about unknown regions and events today. All propaganda must be consciously defaced or beautified. We must see, experience, and think with our own eyes.
" Bandits were reported to be operating near there. "You mean Reds?" "Oh, no, not Reds, although there are Reds in Szechuan, too. No, I mean bandits." "Ah, but you must know that the editors must call them bandits because they are ordered to do so by Nanking," he explained. "If they called them Communists or revolutionaries that would prove they were Communists themselves." "
What history is like can never be completely restored. If the last Red Army fails, then they are in the history of the image, probably will always be based on bandits in the form of appearance, only the winner to be eligible to write the history and interpretation of history. The only winner of the offspring have a chance to live down.
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By reading this book, it is not difficult to fig This is such a good premise to understand how Communist Revolution can succeed in China, as well as a good prediction for China society (1949-1976). The book describes how the Chinese Communist Party could establish a strong base in northern Shaanxi province amidst Japanese invasion of Manchuria and Kuomintang (KMT) Encirclement Campaigns. It also partly provides biographies of top leaders in the CCP: Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and Peng Dehuai.
By reading this book, it is not difficult to figure out why the CCP would be the one standing victoriously over the Tiananmen Square in 1949 to establish the People's Republic. The Red area (indicating areas controlled by the CCP, including northern Shaanxi and a part of Gansu) was described as a 'truly' society than any other areas in China. There were no exploitation, just men and women working for their own lives. Lands were redistributed to peasants and children can go to school for free. Meanwhile, corruption and war had seriously crippled Kuomintang government. Mao Zedong insisted on a United Front policy, which gained him popular support from Chinese people.
In China's Great Hall of the People nowadays, it can be noted that a Red Star is shining above in the center of the ceiling. It can be interpreted as a reconfirmation of Edgar Snow's prediction, that the Red Star is finally shining all over China. ...more
I was interested in reading this to gain more knowledge on the modern day Chinese, and how they got to where they are. This is a good place to start, IMO. I am sure there is plenty of material out there now, but this is a good eyewitness account of the roots of the CCP.
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The author is decidedly pro-Red Army, but aptly illustrates the causes of the revolution and the communists' allure to the peasant and rural populations. Literacy campaigns, equitable treatment of all classes, land redistribution and removal of usurous t A very good point-in-time look at Mao and the Red Army in the mid-1930s. Most western emphasis on China at that time focuses more on Chaing Kai-shek and the Kuomintang; understandable - if not excusable - as Chaing was the "establishment" ruler.
The author is decidedly pro-Red Army, but aptly illustrates the causes of the revolution and the communists' allure to the peasant and rural populations. Literacy campaigns, equitable treatment of all classes, land redistribution and removal of usurous taxation, all contributed to the rise of Chinese communists and the repudiation of Chaing. Regardless of how one feels about Mao, and i would agree there are issues, in 1937 they were trying to do the right things the right way. There was a level of idealism that is enviable.
A more comprehensive reading of modern Chinese history, that includes the CCP in power, the cultural revolution and the Great Leap Forward, is probably warranted, but this book is certainly a worthwhile contribution to modern Chinese history. ...more
This is not a book for everybody, hence a 3 star rating. It isn't an overly exciting book of first hand accounts of strategic battles or key events. Much of the book
For those who are open minded and objective, this book will challenge the traditional Western views of the Chinese Communist revolution. This book being written by a seemingly honest and objective American journalist, will give an alternative first hand account of Mao and many of the other Chinese leaders and the revolution itself.This is not a book for everybody, hence a 3 star rating. It isn't an overly exciting book of first hand accounts of strategic battles or key events. Much of the book goes from person to person, location to location getting opinions of the movement and what Edgar Snow witnessed himself. It is more of an introduction to the mindset of the early Chinese Communists. History buffs will enjoy this book, as much as I did from a cultural perspective.
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We often hear about how Mao was a monster and how he had all his flaws and sins, but this book helps tell us the other side of the story. To that end, anyone interested in Revolutionary
Be advised that several of Mao's answers were scripted, and Snow himself acknowledges this in the text. However, Snow spent enough time with these people to ensure that this account couldn't possibly be a total lie. They say that 'between two conflicting accounts of a story the truth is somewhere in the middle."We often hear about how Mao was a monster and how he had all his flaws and sins, but this book helps tell us the other side of the story. To that end, anyone interested in Revolutionary China should read this rather entertaining book. But don't believe everything you see in these pages.
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I truly appreciate the friendship exerted on Mr. Snow's part and admired him for taking the chance describing the wartime circumstances in China, Chairman Zedong Mao, and the Chinese Communist Party at the time. We thank you.
I read this book at a rather young age. I was not disappointed at all. As a Chinese myself, I know it was a difficult time completing such a book, considering the author, Mr. Snow, is an American citizen.I truly appreciate the friendship exerted on Mr. Snow's part and admired him for taking the chance describing the wartime circumstances in China, Chairman Zedong Mao, and the Chinese Communist Party at the time. We thank you.
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While some of the more auspicious guesses by the Communist leaders interviewed by Snow would not be born out in the future, this does not detract from the overall quality of the account. There are a few stumbling blocks here and there; the way in which the text is written makes frequent skips or retreading of the same ground a common characteristic. It would have been nice for a chronologically arranged history of the Communists, followed by the interviews necessary, to help better guide the text. And while I appreciate my copy being true to form and preserving the Wade-Giles pronunciation format that Snow was both familiar with and used, I would have appreciated it if it had been updated with more modern Romanization standards.
Overall a fine primary account that should be on your reading list if you have an interest in Chinese history in the early 20th century.
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Ps. There are too many lovely clips in this book... Just pick some, Peng Dehuai's stepmother hates him because he looks like her ex. Peng always eats watermelon. Mao strips his pants in the face of Snow and Lin Biao. The adorable soldier who exchanges watermelon with rabbits but get regretful afterward. The old gentleman who learned to write at 64... Fu's dislike on the president of the Poor People Community really amused me a lot... ...more
This book mixes Chinese history, biographies of early Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, and a bit of adventure into the realm of the 'other' to give one of the best-known volumes of Chinese history from the perspective of a Westerner Snow, however, is hardly an unbiased observer, and his work spends quite a bit of time praising the CCP, and taking numerous swipes at the then-ruling KMT. Later books have called into qu
Fascinating, though flawed, history of the early Chinese communist party.This book mixes Chinese history, biographies of early Chinese leaders, including Mao Zedong, and a bit of adventure into the realm of the 'other' to give one of the best-known volumes of Chinese history from the perspective of a Westerner Snow, however, is hardly an unbiased observer, and his work spends quite a bit of time praising the CCP, and taking numerous swipes at the then-ruling KMT. Later books have called into question some of the elements of this book, but that shouldn't dissuade a reader with an intense interest in the founding of the PRC from reading this volume.
The adventure of living behind 'enemy lines' was the most entertaining part of this tale, including his observations of some of the banal aspects of daily life for the then-scrappy PLA. His biographical section at the end is extensive, though some of the entries are slightly dubious. Ultimately, given the importance of this volume, it is hard to avoid for those wanting a picture of the Chinese civil war, but it is best read alongside more modern historical studies.
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so i'm reading a different edition of this book because i heard this book is important for purposes of how CPC & Mao got presented to the West since I'm trying to explore how Mao influenced Hippies influenced my (Gender) Non-Conformity. So yeah, I'm focusing on the 1938 edition archive dot org has on hand partly because the maps etc make it an easier read etc.
https://archive.
this is for a different edition of the book but i am not informed enough on how to start a new edition page for this book.so i'm reading a different edition of this book because i heard this book is important for purposes of how CPC & Mao got presented to the West since I'm trying to explore how Mao influenced Hippies influenced my (Gender) Non-Conformity. So yeah, I'm focusing on the 1938 edition archive dot org has on hand partly because the maps etc make it an easier read etc.
https://archive.org/details/redstarov...
So a gist I'm getting is that I kind of wish there was a database or wiki or something giving more information about all of these figures mentioned, such as the pastor & feng ta. Like this feels like one of those documentaries on "60 minutes" combined with "Paris Is Burning" at this point. i like it, it's a good read, it's interesting, it's kind of like those adventure movies that were kids genre back when i was a kid, but still.
Currently on page about: 56/474 (this was the amount read by the audiobook button at double speed, after an hour about)
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It's an interesting book to read for those who are interested in the part of Chinese history after the breaking of the alliance between the Communist Party of China and Kuomintang in 1927. It contains biographies of several notable people who hold important positions during the time in the CPC and later in the People's Republic of China such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai, etc. Snow ability in communicating in Chinese language and his vast experience of reporting in China since 1932 have made this book worth reading.
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a detailed (somewhat anecdotal) look at the material conditions of the impoverished masses of rural China in the early 1900s, and the successful policies the communists implemented to empower them (free education, land redistribution, gender equality, direct democracy etc). Regardless of your interpretation of the out
Really great on the ground reporting and interviews from an American journalist during the 1930s period of the Chinese Revolution (prior to the full on national war against japan).a detailed (somewhat anecdotal) look at the material conditions of the impoverished masses of rural China in the early 1900s, and the successful policies the communists implemented to empower them (free education, land redistribution, gender equality, direct democracy etc). Regardless of your interpretation of the outcome, the revolution could not have succeeded without support from a mass movement determined to build a better world. "The Red Army is the poor man's army."
In the author's time in the communist controlled areas, his interviews with principal leaders like Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai and Mao Zedong flesh out the incredibly interesting biographies of some of the most consequential figures of the 20th century.
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It truly brings to life the people who united under the CPC to bring about revolution against foreign imperialism, landlords, and the KMT and the assaults they faced by the counter-revolution and their repeated survival under mu
This book is amazingly written, it pulls you into the hardships and struggles of the attempt to build socialism in China. While it is biased - it was edited by the CPC even! - much of what it covers is valuable, even today, as the struggle to construct socialism remains.It truly brings to life the people who united under the CPC to bring about revolution against foreign imperialism, landlords, and the KMT and the assaults they faced by the counter-revolution and their repeated survival under much strain.
Would very much recommend it to read to everyone.
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I started reading this book since the 9th September, and yesterday I finished this book at the time of 18:00, so basically, I spent over a month reading this, I have to confess that I actually didn't start reading this book seriously until I applied for postponing my deadline for another week. In the first day of this week, I started skimming from page 200th, and each day I read 100 pages till I ended this. During these extra days, I suddenly grasped th The Book Report of Red Star Over China
I started reading this book since the 9th September, and yesterday I finished this book at the time of 18:00, so basically, I spent over a month reading this, I have to confess that I actually didn't start reading this book seriously until I applied for postponing my deadline for another week. In the first day of this week, I started skimming from page 200th, and each day I read 100 pages till I ended this. During these extra days, I suddenly grasped the truth of fast reading, and brought it into practice, which deepened my comprehension of it. I'm pleased to find out my reading speed has increased to 250 words plus per minute.
It's high time for me to recollect something I acquired during my enjoyment of this book Red Star Over China. This book contains 767 pages, and half of them are written in Chinese. It is written by Edgar Snow, the famous American Journalist, and translated by the venerable translator Dong Leshan. The reason why I chose this book was that I deemed that a book written by an American journalist must have some shiny qualities such as his abundant usage of vocabulary, unique standpoint and objective attitude, which was demonstrated downright in the later reading. I impressed by his occupational morality and a huge amount of vocabulary.
The book is all about the experience that the author had in China during the revolutionary period. He came to China to know more about the red army. After he traveled across half of the red district, he finally arrived at the headquarter of those top commanders and met with the chairman----- Mao Tse-tung, he also shows his respect and his admiration to those military leaders such as Chou En-lai and Chu Teh. During his journey to the red district, he wrote down what he saw and what he experienced at a very cool attitude and explicit mind. To him, the Chinese cultural background is totally different and opposite to his knowledge and judgement, and he must have been through a tough time accommodated himself to the environment. Though there is plenty of setbacks and troubles lie in front of his way, he never gave up and never quit his faith of groping for the truth.
As he mentioned in the early pages, before him no one ever really came into the base of Red Army and made acquaintance with those people who are called in the outside white world as "red bandit", so he made up his mind to penetrate deep into the red district and be the first one who made exclusive report.
He started his journey with the help of peasants of the environs and he made friends with some of those military leaders step by step, who helped him and escorted him to his destination, where he interviewed chairman Mao and some other comrades. He analyzed both of them for an individual biography, narrating their birthplace, their misery and their fighting experience were all included in this book. His English version of those brilliant stories rendered me a clearer realization towards them.
During his staying at red district, he got along with those friendly comrade and soldiers, and formed unbreakable relationship with everything there, just as he wrote at the moment he left, "I felt that I was not going home, but leaving it."
I always have the feeling that this sensitive and visionary journalist must have obtained the profound perception that the importance of laying the broad mass basis for a successful revolutionary struggle for national liberation.
Our party always dedicated our full energy into the cause of enlarging the basis of the mass by ensuring the benefits of peasants, labor workers, and other proletariat, and, at the same time, confiscating the invalid possession owned by landlord-class and bourgeois. Our army, our soldier is gathered to fight for our own fortune and our own benefits, so it's well acknowledged.
According to his narrative, the biggest barrier that prevented Mao and his team from accomplishing our dream of liberty was the Guomingtang dictated by the generalissimo called Chiang Kai-shek. From the coup de tat to the five "annihilation" before the Long March, Chiang Kai-shek has gathered all his energy trying to defeat the communist camp in order to represent the citizens all by himself. Such an innocent and imprudent attempt shows Chiang's neglect of the hazard and desperate situation that our nation faced.
Consequently, the young marshal Chang Hsueh-liang and general Yang Hu-ch'eng imprisoned him and detained him to accept the anti-Japanese national front and the declaration. This is a huge joint of history, and this two man's effort has congregated the energy over the whole country again.
He did not overvalue the contribution of Mao's, and also was not overcritical to Chiang's misconduct. His is so objective a sage who uses his perspective to see through a person and the history.
At last, I want to quote one of the reviews from a famous community 'Douban', "if I lived at time, and read this book, I would pack all my stuff and join the army directly." Yes, this is a great book, describing a miracle through history made by those intellectual elites of china, and what's more, possessing the most charming spell from the outstanding journalist Edgar Snow.
I salute you.
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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/400393
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