Chapter 35 Anti-Japanese Drama Club

During the period when the Party Central Committee and the Soviet Central Government established Zhidan as their capital, whenever there were important festivals or major events, there would be cultural performances at Longwangmiao Beach in the south of the city.During Snow's interview with Zhidan, the Anti-Japanese Drama Club specially staged a cultural evening.Snow wrote in "A Journey to the West": No tickets are sold, there are no private boxes, and no private seats.I saw Central Committee Secretary Luo Fu, Red Army University President Lin Biao, Finance People's Committee Lin Boqu, Government Chairman Mao Zedong, and other cadres and their wives scattered among the audience, sitting on the soft grass like others.

A large red silk curtain was hung on the stage, with the words "People's Anti-Japanese Drama Society" written on it, as well as the new Latinized Chinese characters... The program lasted three hours, including skits, dances, singing, pantomime—— It can be said to be a kind of sideshow, and the common ground is mainly two central themes: anti-Japanese and revolution. During the performance, the atmosphere of the scene is extremely warm. Between the transition of the previous scene and the next scene, there will be loud singing on the field, and the comrades who belong to a unit sitting together will start singing revolutionary songs until the show starts again. will stop.

The performance that day left a deep impression on Snow.The first short play is "Invasion" with a village in Manchuria as the background, the second program is "Harvest Dance", another program is "United Front Dance", followed by "Red Machine Dance", and there is also a newspaper drama .From time to time, between performances, someone in the audience called out to ask someone else to improvise.During the interview in the Soviet area, Snow had a deep feeling for the Red Army's propaganda.He wrote in "Westward Journey": What amazes me about these troupes is not that they offer the world anything of artistic value, which they obviously don't have, but that they are so poorly equipped and yet meet a real social need.They have very few props and costumes, but they are able to perform realistic drama with this original material.The actors received very little living allowance other than food and clothing, but they studied every day like all Communists, and they believed that they were working for China and the Chinese people.

There is no more powerful propaganda weapon in the communist movement than the Red Army theater society.And there is no more ingenious weapon.Due to the constant change of programs and daily newspaper dramas, many new military, political, economic, and social issues have become the material of dramas. The peasants are not easy to believe, and many doubts and problems are easily understood by them. answer in a humorous way.After the Red Army occupied a place, it was often the Red Army drama club that dispelled people's doubts, gave them a basic understanding of the Red Army's program, disseminated a large number of revolutionary ideas, carried out anti-propaganda, and won the people's trust.

The development of "red drama" is divided into two stages: the first stage is from the winter of 1927 to the winter of 1929, which is the initial stage.The second stage began with Mao Zedong’s emphasis on drama activities at the Gutian Conference. Specialized editors and creators gradually emerged, clubs were established, and special personnel were assigned to plan drama performances. Professional troupes soon appeared: Bayi Theater Troupe, Gongnong Drama Club; Organized a drama school - Blue Shirt Theater Troupe School, which was later officially named Gorky Drama School, and has trained about 1,000 students.

The prosperity and growth of "red drama" triggered the vigorous development of mass drama movement.The Blue Shirt Troupes at all levels and the branches and branches of the Workers and Peasants Drama Club have been established in various areas of the base area, bringing the performances of red song and dance to a climax. In November 1931, when Ruijin convened the First National Congress of the Soviets of China, a grand "Ten Thousand People Carrying Lanterns" was held, performing dragon dances, carp lantern dances, lion lantern dances, etc. The dance with Jiangxi folk characteristics made the whole performance lively and lasted all night, creating the most spectacular performance record in the history of red song and dance.

The performance forms of red repertoire are various: there are performances with singing and dancing, small dramas with singing and dancing, and small performances called "huabao dance", etc., which were very popular at that time. Programs such as "Zhuanghonghuabao" and "United Front Huabao" reflected the performance of theatrical performances at that time, as well as the promotion of current affairs and policies of the Communist Party.Of course, songs are easy to spread, such as the famous revolutionary songs, the songs of the Soviet Red Army, folk songs and ballads in the base area, minors, and famous children's songs that were popular all over the country at that time. The basic guarantee of artistic level. "August Osmanthus Blooms Everywhere" and "Send Lang to the Red Army" are taken from the Jiangxi folk song "Baduanjin", as well as Li Jinhui's children's song and dance drama "Poor Autumn Fragrance" and "Sparrow and Child" have become the most important creation basis for red song and dance . "Russian Dance", "Navy Dance" and "Ukrainian Dance" are also Soviet song and dance programs that are often seen at various evening parties, providing the greatest spiritual support to people engaged in arduous struggles.Although these songs and dances are still relatively immature in art, limited to conditions and simple and rough, they laid the foundation for the development of the later singing and dancing art in northern Shaanxi.

During the Jiangxi base period, Li Bozhao, Liu Yuehua, and Shi Lianxing were known as the three red dance stars in the Soviet area and had a high reputation.Li Bozhao is optimistic by nature and good at singing and dancing. He once went to the Soviet Union to study. When he saw the "International Song and Dance" by the American modern dancer Isadora Duncan who was in the Soviet Union, he was very shocked. He was deeply influenced by Soviet art in the art of dance. influences.After she returned to China, she performed Soviet songs and dances for the people in the Soviet area, and actively created songs and dances.The three of them created and performed "Workers' Dance", "Red Army Dance", "Peasant Dance" and "Big Sword Dance", which were popular in the base area. "International Song and Dance" often received loud applause from the audience.

In the Western Soviet Area of ​​Hunan, Hubei, the Second Red Army led by He Long and Zhou Yiqun established the famous Battle Drama Club; the Third Red Army led by Peng Dehuai established the Fireline Drama Club, which mainly composed and performed new dramas and performed mobile performances on the front line; , Liu Bojian, director of the Political Department, led the establishment of the Mengjin Drama Club, and presided over the compilation and performance of many live newspaper dramas and dramas.The Warrior Theater Club established by the First Red Army Corps is an amateur drama group with active creation and performance and great influence in the Red Army. Lushan", "Guangzhou Riot" and other dramas.Legion leaders Nie Rongzhen, Lin Biao, Luo Ronghuan, Li Zhuoran, Luo Ruiqing, Tong Xiaopeng, etc. all participated in the performance of "Snow on Lushan Mountain" created by Li Zhuoran. "August 1st Nanchang Uprising" was hosted and collectively created by Nie Rongzhen, political commissar of the Legion, and directed by Luo Ruiqing.This play uses the form of multiple performances to reflect this magnificent revolutionary historical storm from different aspects of the enemy and us.

After the start of the Long March, the drama troupe in the Soviet area was also divided into two parts: one team accompanied the army on the Long March, and the other stayed in the border areas of Fujian and Jiangxi and Guangdong and Jiangxi to participate in guerrilla warfare.Under the leadership of Qu Qiubai, the members of the Workers and Peasants Drama Club who stayed in the Soviet area and the teachers and students of the Gorky Drama School formed three troupes, namely Zhanhao, Hongqi and Mars, and continued to carry out publicity and performance activities in a difficult environment. On the Long March, the battle was urgent, and the Red Army drama clubs in the various armies had been broken up into pieces and dispersed among the divisions. Therefore, they were combined with the grassroots propaganda teams to carry out propaganda work with the army.

In the early days of the Long March, the two forms of "propaganda and agitation booths" and "flying performances" were very active. "Propaganda and Agitation Shed" is to use cloth to pull up a shed during the march, put a red flag on it, and set up tea inside. At the moment when the soldiers are entertained to enter the shed to drink water, the propaganda team members sing, say allegro, or paste slogans and propaganda poems. , Encourage everyone to march and fight.Before crossing the snow-capped mountains, the publicity team also approached the common people to inquire about the situation of going up the mountain. Some people said: "There are monster winds on the mountain, and the changes are very fast. It is difficult to cross the snow-capped mountains." Some comrades felt fearful for this.For this reason, the propaganda team carried out the work of breaking superstition in a timely manner, talking about the climate and terrain, and compiling songs to sing: "Da Xueshan, what is it, the highest is only seventy-eight, compare which one is better, and see who is the first to climb up." It." Or sing: "Brother Comrade, listen to me, there are still more than ten miles ahead; after ten miles, we will camp and set up a steel pot to cook the barley." Sometimes, the propaganda team members would run back and forth with the team to play allegro, and some would Run to the top of the mountain in advance to plant a small red flag, the team can see it at the foot of the mountain, chase each other, and soon turn over a mountain; sometimes, draw funny cartoons along the way, even if it is two red soldiers It is a great encouragement to soldiers to draw a picture of a head of a mountain, or to draw a few mountain flowers in full bloom. "Flying performance" is a time-consuming and dangerous form of performance.Due to the long forced march of the troops, there was no rest and they were extremely tired.For example, the 2nd and 6th Army Corps launched a one-month, 1,300-mile roundabout battle with the chasing enemy in Wumeng Mountain. The propaganda team would choose places such as the ferry, halfway up the mountain, or narrow intersections, etc., for more than ten minutes. Live News" play performance.This kind of performance pays not only sweat, but also blood.In a blocking battle called Yemachuan, the propaganda team and the combat team covered the safe march of the troops on a hilltop for more than two hours. There were planes bombing, cannons exploded below, and the huqin was blown away. The yueqin was also blown in half, and a comrade's left hand was cut off, but everyone got up from the gunpowder smoke and mud, continued to sing, and continued to perform.At that time, there was a song of the legion in the program that was often performed: "The Victory Song of Crossing the Jinsha River". The author of the lyrics was Peng Jialun, the chief of the propaganda section of the Red First Division, and wrote it on the marching road to the Jiaoping Ferry of the Jinsha River.There is also "Song of Fighting Cavalry", written by Lu Dingyi and Li Bozhao. The song reflects the scene of the attack on Ma Bufang's cavalry regiment. Li Bozhao also choreographed "Dance of Fighting Cavalry", which has a strong fighting style.In particular, the "Long March Minor" in the form of folk songs appeared on the Long March Road. It was sung one by one along the way. The whole song has twelve sections, one section per month. Ding Yi and Jia Tuofu sorted it out and became the tenth song in the history of our army's literature and art in praise of the Long March. After the first and fourth front armies on the Long March met at Maogong, a grand party was held. The Warrior Drama Club performed Huang Zhen's drama "Broken Straw Shoes", praising the Red Army's victory in crossing the Jinsha River, which greatly boosted morale.When the Second and Sixth Army Corps of the Red Army moved to the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, they created and performed a 4-act drama "I'm Going to the Red Army", which played a positive role in promoting the policies of the Communist Party of China and expanding the ranks of the Red Army.When Ganzi joined forces to form the Red Second Front Army, He Long entrusted Li Bozhao to organize and train the Combat Drama Club. In October 1936, the first, second, and fourth front armies of the Red Army joined forces in Huining and successfully completed the Great Long March. The literary and artistic fighters in the Soviet area were scattered to various troops and regions, and the fire of "red drama" was also brought to various liberated areas. . Wei Gongzhi is a legendary figure. During the period when the Party Central Committee and the Chinese Soviet Central Government established the capital of Zhidan, she appeared in cultural activities as the president of the Central People's Drama Club, and followed the central leadership to the frontline to condolences to the soldiers several times. Gala performances, and a drama club was cultivated with her as the mainstay. Wei Gongzhi was born in a poor gentry family in Xinyang, Henan Province in 1907, and was admitted to Kaifeng Girls Middle School in 1925. In 1926, he was admitted to the Political Branch of Whampoa Military Academy. In 1929, he went to Moscow to study at Sun Yat-sen University. After returning to China in July 1931, he worked in the Propaganda Section of the Political Department of the Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi Military Region. After going to Ruijin, he served as Secretary of the General Office of the Central Government and Director of the Organ Club.During this period, she and Li Bozhao founded the Red School "August 1 Theater Troupe" and formed the "Worker and Peasant Drama Club", and was recommended as the vice president.At this time, she was said to be a "Trotsky suspect" in the "suppression of counter-revolutionaries" of Wang Ming's line. She was permanently expelled from the party and imprisoned. She seemed to have disappeared in the Central Soviet Area.However, Wei Gongzhi took part in the Long March, was tested by a narrow escape, and finally arrived in northern Shaanxi.After the Long March, Chairman Mao instructed that anyone who has passed the test of the Long March and has not been shaken politically, no matter if they are grooms or cooks, no matter what punishment they have received in history, can join the party or re-join the party.Wei Gongzhi was unanimously rated as a strong female soldier by the party organization and comrades, and finally resumed her party membership. Snow met Wei Gongzhi when he was interviewed by Zhidan in the Red Capital, and wrote in the article "China under the Red Flag": Wei Gongzhi wore clean Red Army uniform, and like all Soviet women, she had her hair cut.From a distance, you might expect her to be a neat Red Army officer.But upon closer inspection, she was a very pretty young woman, with a charming smile and the manner of a competent person.I thought she might be a Lucy Sterno, and asked if she was married?She shook her head and smiled.Pointing to her students, she said: "Can a husband provide for more children than mine? No! I am not married yet, the revolution has not won, and Japan has not been defeated. I will not have time to consider such a luxury. !" Regarding the performances of various people's theater clubs in the Soviet area, Snow has seen them many times in Zhidan and the Western Expedition Front, and he is deeply moved: They slept where they went, ate with pleasure whatever was given them, and traveled long distances from one village to another.In terms of material comforts, they are undoubtedly the most poorly paid actors in the world, and yet I have never seen a happier actor. ② Dance star Li Bozhao also participated in the Long March, but she was the female Red Army who walked the most.She is a native of Chongqing, Sichuan. She joined the Chinese Communist Youth League in 1925. In the same year, she went to Shanghai and was appointed as a propaganda committee member of the Communist Youth League in Pudong. In the winter of 1926, he went to the Soviet Union to study at Sun Yat-sen University in Moscow. In the summer of 1929, he married Yang Shangkun and engaged in the labor movement in Shanghai. In 1931, he transferred to the Communist Party of China. In the same year, he went to the Western Fujian Soviet Area and served as the chief of the Propaganda Section of the Political Department of the Western Fujian Military Region of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and a political teacher of the Military and Political School.Later, he went to Ruijin, Jiangxi, and served as a political teacher at the Red Army School, editor of "Red China", principal of Gorky Drama School, and director of the Art Bureau of the Ministry of Education of the Provisional Central Government of the Soviet Republic of China. During the Long March, Li Bozhao used his artistic talents to take charge of publicity and morale boosting. In the absence of scripts, he improvised some short stories to perform. In the autumn of 1935, after the first Red Army and the Fourth Red Army joined forces in Maogong, the First Red Army decided to go north. At this time, she was organizing a literary and art training class at the Fourth Red Army station far away from the General Political Department.After receiving Yang Shangkun's letter, she hurried back, but the Red Front Army had already set off, so she had to turn back and cross the grass with the Red Fourth Front Army. When the Second Red Front Army led by He Long and Ren Bishi joined Ganzi, the Fourth Red Front Army, Li Bozhao was able to join the Second Red Front Army to take charge of propaganda work and went northward together. However, she had no choice but to accompany the army across the grassland for the third time.Li Bozhao's Long March journey was a full year longer than others. The Central Red Army marched to northern Shaanxi and commanded the First Red Army and the Fifth Red Army to march eastward.The Propaganda Team of the First Red Army and the troops acted together to conduct anti-Japanese propaganda in accordance with the "Propaganda Outline" compiled and issued by the Political Department of the Legion, and posted the "Announcement of the Chinese People's Red Army Anti-Japanese Pioneer Army" and slogans issued in the names of Commander-in-Chief Peng Dehuai and General Political Commissar Mao Zedong. mass meeting.These slogans of resisting Japan and saving the country, and overthrowing traitors and traitors spread quickly and became household names.In Wan'an Town, near Hongdong County, Shanxi, the propaganda team patiently worked as long-term workers and mobilized them to expose the pawnshop of a bully and big landlord, and distributed some gold and silver jewelry, clothes and other belongings to some poor people. , get their support.In the promotion of popularity, the publicity team took the lead. Everywhere they went, they used theatrical performances to attract many people. Many young people signed up around the publicity team, asking to be a "acting soldier".At that time, the publicity team also launched a "popularity expansion contest" to see who would expand the popularity the most.As a result, an average of more than 30 people became popular per person.Fan Wenlie, Cui Baozhu, Meng Chengyi, Tian Donghai, Wang Zonglong and other comrades joined the army at this time to supplement the propaganda team. The propaganda team met a little baby named Cui Baozhu in Shizhi Village, Hexi, Hongdong County. Both of his parents died, and there was no one else in his family. He was an orphan and was raised by relatives and friends.When the Red Army came to work in the village, he was only 12 years old, with a bright red face and big shining eyes.He was curious about everything. He watched for a long time when the troops went out for military drills, propaganda, beating local tyrants, and distributing floating money.Especially when the publicity team set up a stage, and when the gongs and drums beat, he would come to watch the excitement.It was still dark, and I didn't even care about eating, so I moved a stool and sat in the front.As soon as the army was mobilized and popularized, he signed up.Considering that the publicity team also needed a child for their performances, they accepted him.Later, Cui Baozhu really played the role of a child actor.The publicity team rehearsed a play and needed children as a foil, so he would play.He is indispensable for rehearsing dances.What "Children's Dance", "East Crossing the Yellow River Dance", "Dingling Dance", all have his share.In "Westward Journey" written by Snow, there is a photo titled "Red Machine Dance". The actor in the front row wearing the "Red Five Star" costume is him. When the Red Army marched westward, about 30 drama clubs and cultural propaganda groups toured the front lines.Once, the propaganda team performed in a market town adjacent to the Kuomintang-controlled area, which attracted many soldiers of the Northeast Army. These soldiers even invited the propaganda team members to a company, sang songs and performed dances. They were happy at first and then sad crying.Some cursed angrily: "The Kuomintang advertises that the Red Army is a 'bandit'. You are so young, you can fight, you can talk, you can sing and dance, and you understand so many things. How can there be such a 'bandit' in the world?" One night, Lu Rencan, the chief of the enemy engineering section, invited Huang Xing, the leader of the propaganda team, and Yang Jintao, a new soldier, to perform at the home of a division commander Wang of the Northeast Army. The divisional staff and officers' wives all came, filling the room.At the beginning of the performance, Comrade Huang Xing danced "Navy Dance", "Caucasus Dance", "Ukrainian Dance" and sang "On the Songhua River" and "March of the Volunteers" with Yang Jintao. Feelings of nostalgia, tears were shed on the spot.After the performance, they invited the publicity team members to eat candy.Seeing that Huang Xing was wearing straw sandals, the teacher's aunt found a ruler, measured his feet, brought a new pair of rubber shoes, and forced him to put them on. In order to further expand the propaganda and enhance the friendly relationship with the Northeast Army, the propaganda team carried out "delivery to the door".Some of the programs performed are old programs created on the Long March Road, and some are new programs tailored to the current situation of the Northeast Army.The repertoire includes: "For Whom the Blood and Sweat Is Shed", "The Hate of the Subjugated Country", "Go Back to My Hometown", "Better Die Than Surrender", "A Load of Bullets", "Put Down Your Whip", and also choreographed some songs and dances.These programs were short, concise, lively and lively, and won warm welcome from officers and soldiers of the Northeast Army. In August 1936, accompanied by Huang Hua, Snow and doctor George Haidham (namely Ma Haide) arrived at Yuwang Fort after a long journey.Snow described in his "Westward Journey" that he and Commander Peng Dehuai watched the cultural performance of the Propaganda Team for more than two hours: We sat down with the other fighters on the grass in front of the makeshift stage.He (Peng Dehuai) seemed to appreciate those performances, and took the lead in asking to sing a song he liked.The weather starts to cool after dark, even though it's only the end of August.I wrapped the cotton pad tightly.In the middle of the performance, I suddenly found that Peng Dehuai had already taken off his cotton coat, only then did I see that he had already put his cotton coat on a trumpeter sitting beside him. When Snow was interviewing in the Soviet area, he took many extremely precious photos, especially the stills of the performance of the Red Theater Company, which became a rare historical record.And through his words, we understand the passion and high spirits of that year.