The Unity of Epic in Mao Zedong's Poems

Epic is a literary term and also belongs to the category of aesthetics. It emphasizes the realistic characteristics of works reflecting historical themes and social features, and focuses on understanding the real history reproduced by works from the perspective of social and historical development. Mao Zedong's poetry art reflects the long history of China, the magnificent Chinese revolution, the vicissitudes of Chinese society, with a magnificent epic heritage, full of style and lofty epic value.

The Art Epitome of the Long River of Chinese History

　　Yuan Mei, a poetry critic in the Qing Dynasty, said in "Poetry in Suiyuan": "Use the past of the ancients to express your embrace." Mao Zedong kept reading and kept thousands of volumes in his chest. He spent his whole life studying history, commenting on history and drawing lessons from history. He is in "where does the yellow crane know to go? The history is touched by the evolution of the scenery of" tourists ". Torture history in front of Kunlun, who" read all the spring scenery in the world "; Taste history in the literary classics of" The past is over a thousand years, Wei Wu wielded his whip, and there is a legacy in Jieshi in the east "; Interpret history in the passing years of" the son said in Sichuan: the deceased is like a husband. Some scholars use "the history of thousands of years in the palm of their hands" to evaluate the historical meaning of Mao Zedong's poems, which is right.
The "He Groom · Reading History" written in the spring of 1964 includes the development track of human society with Chinese history as the main body and spanning millions of years. It is the "pressed work" of Mao Zedong's poems in his later years ". "Farewell to the apes", with strange and humorous handwriting. "Only a few stones have been ground, and the children's season", the sand picks gold, and goes through the long-standing Stone Age. For thousands of years of the Bronze and Iron Age, the meaning was self-evident only by "turning the flame in a copper and iron furnace. "After the reputation of the thief, King Chen rose to wield Huang Cheng." Those leaders of the peasant uprising who were slandered as "thieves" and "bandits" by the ruling class at that time were the "romantic figures" who really pushed history forward ". "Overthrowing history for 3,000 years and casting magnificent and magnificent words", it is appropriate to comment on "He Groom Reading History" with Liu Yazi's praise.
Mao Zedong is well-versed in history, looking at the successes and failures of ancient and modern times, and experiencing the gains and losses of the sages. "Qinyuan Spring Snow" lists the martial arts of Qin Emperor Hanwu, Tang Zong Song Zu, and Genghis Khan as "anti-feudalism and criticizing a reactionary aspect of two thousand years of feudalism". "Ai Xiao is too prosperous, pepper and orchid are few, and he jumps to Wanli Tao", "Seven Jue Qu Yuan" is full of admiration for Qu Yuan, who was slandered and threw into the river angrily. "Lonely Hong Yu mourned dysprosium, and thousands of horses cried out." "Seven Jue Liu Qi" praised Liu Qi, the courageous and outspoken "Zhong Tang Junwei. "Jia Shengcai transferred to the world without relationship", "young suave gallery temple talent", "seven unique Jia Yi" and "seven laws Yong Jia Yi" not only affirmed his "chest Luo article soldiers millions, bold according to the Chinese country tree thousands of Taiwan" strategy, but also deeply regretted his pedantry and pedantry of "Liang Wang fell to the common things, why pay his life with grief. Mao Zedong once wrote a poem "Reading" Feudal Theory "to Guo Lao" for "all generations have been Qin politics and law", "Persuading the monarch to scold Qin Shihuang less". Mao Zedong "thought for thousands of years", used the spring and autumn brushwork to write the long river of history in a rhythmic and vivid way, reflecting the romantic historical thinking and poetic historical value.

The magnificent picture of the Chinese revolutionary course

On December 26, 1994, he Jingzhi pointed out in his opening speech "the treasure of Chinese culture and the monument in the history of poetry" at the founding meeting of China Mao Zedong Poetry Research Association that Mao Zedong's poems are the treasures of poetry sublimated and crystallized from the tortuous and heroic historical process of the Chinese revolution, which has great historical spirit and distinctive color of the times, At the same time, it also records a series of major historical events reflecting the various historical stages of the Chinese revolution, it has rich historical connotations and profound revolutionary feelings.
"People's Literature" in May 1962, with "Six Ci Poems" as the general title, published Mao Zedong's six words, namely "Qingpingle · Jiang Gui War", "Picking Sangzi · Chongyang", "Reduced Character Magnolia · Guangchang Road", "Butterfly Love Flower · From Tingzhou to Changsha", "Yu Jiaao · Anti-First" Encirclement and Suppression "" "", "Yu Jiaao · The Second. In his "Introduction to the Six Words", written in April of that year, Mao Zedong wrote, "Recall that these words were hummed on horseback from 1929 to 1931. The poor literary grace, however, reflects the comfortable state of the revolutionary masses and revolutionary soldiers of that period, which is fine as historical material." Mao Zedong's poems not only vividly record Mao Zedong's struggling life and mental journey from "the child is determined to go out of the hometown, learn not to become famous and not return the oath" to "have a long history of Ling Yunzhi, return to Jinggangshan", but also artistically reflect the Chinese revolution from "Ask the vast land, who is in charge of the ups and downs" to "the tiger is in the dragon and the past, and the earth is turned upside down. In particular, the military poems from the "Xijiang Moon · Autumn Harvest Uprising" in 1927 to the "Seven Laws · People's Liberation Army Occupation of Nanjing" in 1949 formed a complete series, documenting many major events in various periods of the revolutionary war, covering the extraordinary years of the struggle in Jinggangshan, the growth of the Central Soviet Area, the gunfire and smoke of several anti-"encirclement" wars, the arduous Long March, the raging peak of the Anti-Japanese War, the battle of crossing the river is a thrilling panorama of the Chinese revolutionary war.
A glimpse can be seen from Mao Zedong's self-note on some of his works. For example, he asked "who is in charge of the ups and downs of the vast earth?" the comment said: "This sentence refers to: before the Northern Expedition, which class ruled the fate of China?" explained to "Bodhisattva Man · Yellow Crane Tower": "The mood: In 1927, on the eve of the failure of the Great Revolution, the mood was bleak, and I didn't know what to do for a while. This was the spring of that year. In summer, on August 7, the party's emergency meeting decided to fight back with armed forces and found a way out." These self-notes and self-explications fully demonstrate the unique value of Mao Zedong's poems in the combination of poetry and history and epic.

A True Portrait of the Great Changes of Chinese Society

　　After the Opium War, China gradually became a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. The country was humiliated, the people were suffering, and the civilization was dusty. The Chinese nation suffered unprecedented disasters. "May 7, the Republic of China is a great shame." Yuan Shikai blatantly accepted the "21 articles" of Japanese imperialism in its vain attempt to destroy China ". "There are islands and barbarians in the East China Sea, and the North Mountain is full of hatred." Almost all Western powers have invaded China, and Japan and Tsarist Russia have intensified their efforts. "The landlords are oppressing heavily, and the peasants are all enemies." The class contradictions are extremely acute and imminent, and the peasants are oppressed. "When the situation suddenly changes, the warlords start the war again, and it is all resentment to spread to the world." The country is divided, factions are numerous, warlords are separated, and wars are frequent, leading to boiling public resentment.
From the various viewpoints and paths, after repeated comparison and identification, Mao Zedong resolutely chose Marxism and devoted himself to the revolutionary cause of saving the country and the people. In early 1921, Mao Zedong adjusted the purpose of the Xinmin Society from "innovating academics, honing character, and improving people's customs" to "transforming China and the world". This is not only the purpose of Xinmin society, but also the pursuit of Mao Zedong's life. Mao Zedong's poetry is not only a heroic epic of the glorious course of "smashing an old world", but also a true portrayal of the great practice of "building a new China.
The establishment of the the People's Republic of China completely put an end to the tragic situation in old China of "a long night of difficulty in the sky of Chixian County, a century of demons and monsters dancing lightly, and the people's 0.5 billion are not reunited", and ushered in a brand-new era of "the world is white when singing cocks, the music of ten thousand square songs is played in Khotan, and the poets are even more prosperous. After the founding of New China, Mao Zedong's poems bid farewell to the gunfire and smoke, turned to depict the socialist construction in full swing, and enthusiastically eulogized the spirit of the people fighting against heaven and earth.
"Water tune song head swimming" highly praised the good situation of "the wind is moving, the tortoise snake is quiet, and the grand plan is set up". It fully affirms the construction achievements of "a bridge flying north and south, and the natural cutting becomes a thoroughfare". It also imagines the development prospect of "setting up the stone wall of Xijiang River, cutting off the clouds and rain in Wushan, and making Pinghu Lake in high gorge. In the old society, the epidemic was raging, "the green waters and green mountains were in vain, but Hua Tuo had no choice but to be a worm! Thousands of villages and villages and litters had their own arrows, and thousands of desolate ghosts sang". Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people make every effort to govern, "the sky even five ridges silver hoe down, the earth moves three rivers iron arm shake. If you ask where the plague king wants to go, the paper boat is shining on the sky", singing the triumphant song of "Send the God of Plague", which truly embodies the "two heavens of the old and new society".
In May 1965, Mao Zedong "came thousands of miles to find his hometown" and returned to Jinggangshan. Seeing the great changes in the mountain countryside of "the old appearance changes into a new appearance", "everywhere there are songs and dances, there are more gurgling water, high roads into the clouds" and "there are more buildings, pavilions and pavilions". Mao Zedong wrote with mixed feelings and wrote "water tune, return to Jinggangshan" and "Niannu Jiao Jinggangshan". Mao Zedong not only committed to changing the world, but also attached importance to the transformation of people, hoping that young people could "not love red clothes and love armed" and "strange children, such as pines and cypresses. On the sky, proud of frost and snow". "The waves push the waves forward year after year, and the rivers and flowers are fresh everywhere." It is precisely because generations of newcomers have grown up and transformed China and the world for thousands of years. There will be successors, vigorous and promising.
                                         

Source: Learning Times