The Party's External Propaganda in Yan'an Period

During the Yan'an period, in the face of the Kuomintang's blockade, slander, and slander, we adhered to the strategy of combining "going out" and "inviting in", carried out a series of external propaganda and international exchanges, got rid of the dilemma of public opinion, and won the support of people from all walks of life. The ideas, mechanisms and measures adopted have played an important role in spreading the voice of the Communist Party of China internationally.

"Going out": propagandizing the CPC's ideas and anti-Japanese war propositions in an all-round way. after arriving in northern shaanxi, the party central committee attached great importance to the work of external contacts and proposed to break the shackles of 'left' dogma, implement a 'flexible foreign policy, 'and regard 'stepping up foreign propaganda' as an urgent task. First, set up a propaganda agency. In 1938, outstanding students and progressive youth who had social relations with overseas were selected from the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, Shanbei Public School and other schools to form an overseas working group; in April 1938, the Yangtze River Bureau of the CPC Central Committee established the International Propaganda Committee and set up an office-International Propaganda Group; in October 1940, the Central Propaganda Department established the International Propaganda Committee; and so on. These foreign agencies played an important role in conveying the voice of China, publicizing the deeds of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army and the economic and social conditions of the base areas. Second, translate and publish. Under the leadership of Zhou Enlai, dozens of works such as "On Protracted War", "On New Democracy", and "On Coalition Government" were translated into foreign languages and published, which had a great influence overseas. At the same time, the Hong Kong Office of the Eighth Route Army assisted progressive groups and progressives in compiling and publishing Mao Zedong's works in Hong Kong. Again, the distribution of newspapers and periodicals, the establishment of radio stations. Pioneer Weekly, which was founded in New York, was revised into Pioneer in 1934, based on the working overseas Chinese in the lower class of American society, and publicized the anti-Japanese ideas of the Communist Party of China. In order to expand its international influence, the delegation of the Communist Party of China to the Communist International founded the National Salvation Times, an organ newspaper engaged in national salvation propaganda overseas. Although it lasted less than three years, it was at the forefront of the times in the face of some major historical events. In 1941, Xinhua News Agency's foreign language publication "China Report" was sent to foreign countries through Hong Kong or other channels, providing a platform for the international community to understand the real situation of China's Anti-Japanese War. In addition to newspapers and periodicals, Xinhua Radio Station has also become an important way for us to publicize abroad during this period.

"Please come in": set up a direct platform for external communication. On the one hand, international friends are welcome to record and publicize the situation of the Communist Party of China. In 1936, with the help of Soong Ching-ling, American progressive journalist Edgar Snow bypassed numerous blockades and came to Yan'an to conduct extensive investigations on military construction and economic construction in the base areas. Subsequently, many newspapers and periodicals, such as Miller's Review (an English journal of current affairs founded by American journalists in China), the Daily Herald of the United Kingdom, and the Saturday Evening News of the United States, successively published more than 30 newsletters of Snow, which aroused strong repercussions at home and abroad. After the publication of "Red Star Shines on China" compiled from these reports, it once caused a sensation in the world, saying that it shocked the world like Columbus's discovery of America. Since then, more than 100 international friends have come to Yan'an, and the international press has also set off an upsurge of reporting on the CCP: Han Suyin wrote "The Torrent of the Morning-Mao Zedong and the Chinese Revolution", Helen Snow wrote "Continued Westward Journey", Anna Louis Strong wrote "The 1/5 of Mankind", etc. These works reported a large number of the Eighth Route Army's war of resistance behind enemy lines, eulogized the people's war led by the Communist Party, and let the world know more about Red China. On the other hand, foreign journalists and military personnel were invited to visit Yan'an and the base areas. After the military blockade of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region by the Kuomintang, international friends were not allowed to enter at will. In this regard, we carry out extensive diplomatic activities, convey the voice of the Communist Party of China in a timely manner, and invite foreign journalists and military personnel to visit and inspect, which is one of the important ways. For example, in February 1944, the Chongqing Office of the Communist Party of China invited reporters from the "New York Times", "The Times" and other media to cover and report, introduce them to the CCP's contribution to the War of Resistance, and expose the actual situation of the Kuomintang's destruction of the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. For another example, in July and August 1944, the US military observation group arrived in Yan'an in two batches. The Chinese Communist Party specially organized relevant personnel to give them a comprehensive introduction to the Chinese Communist Party's principles and policies, the construction of base areas, and the situation of the War of Resistance behind enemy lines, which was highly recognized by the US side.

The Enlightenment of Our Party's Doing Well in International Communication in Yan'an Period. The party's international communication work during the Yan'an period not only broke the blockade and slander of the Kuomintang, but also effectively enhanced the international image and enhanced the credibility and influence of the CCP in the international community. It is quite important to strengthen and improve my country's international communication capacity building. Inspiration.

First, insist on taking the initiative. For a period of time, under the slander and propaganda of the Kuomintang, the newspapers were full of "seizing the land", "attacking the national army", "hindering the war of resistance" and "traveling without attacking. In this regard, we do not adopt the coping style of "slander-response-again slander-again response", but adhere to the concept that shaping is a higher level of maintenance, take the initiative to attack, and regard external publicity as an important work. In December 1937, the "Declaration of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Current Situation" made it an important task to expand international propaganda and increase international aid; in 1940, the Central Committee issued an instruction requiring that propaganda at home and abroad should be automatically and systematically supplied with various appropriate information. Materials; In 1944, the Central Committee once again requested "systematic and true reporting of the war behind enemy lines, and vividly and forcefully propagating our army's heroic achievements".

second, we should persist in seeking truth from facts. With regard to international communication work, Mao Zedong stressed that we must publicize our party's policies realistically and try our best to let them understand not only the advantages and achievements in our work, but also our shortcomings and deficiencies. Zhou Enlai also proposed that "we must not engage in exaggeration, let alone fraud". "Open the door" was an important principle of reception work during the Yan'an period. "When it comes to the shortcomings of the Yan'an government, there is no sense of inferiority of the Orientals". The Chinese Communist Party's self-confidence and open-mindedness left a deep impression on foreign journalists and achieved good results in foreign publicity.

Third, make good use of foreign media power. International friends, newspaper reporters, US military observation groups, etc., or through reports, or through books, or through reports, passed on the actual situation of the CCP to foreign countries, which played a key role in shaping our party's international image. With simple narration, vivid words and vivid examples, they showed a three-dimensional and real image of the Communist Party of China to the outside world, won the support of people from all walks of life, and believed that "China's hope is in Yan'an".

Fourth, speak with facts. During the Anti-Japanese War, the international attention to the Communist Party of China gradually increased. They all wanted to see if the army led by the Communist Party of China could persist to the final victory in the guerrilla zone and whether the policies implemented by the Communist Party of China violated the interests of all countries. Therefore, the Party Central Committee emphasized that we must show the enemy and the whole country with practical actions, and prove with facts that guerrilla warfare can develop in China's self-defense war.

Source: Learning Times