Poet Mao Zedong

Author: Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee Committee for the Study of the History of the Communist Party of China / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Mao Zedong's poems cover a wide range of themes, possess profound meanings, are rich in literary beauty, and exude majestic power, exerting a far-reaching influence both domestically and internationally. This book serves as the commentary script for the large-scale television documentary art film Leading the Trend—Poet Mao Zedong. From a unique perspective, it brings us closer to Mao Zedong once again, focusing on the legendary life experiences of the ordinary man Mao Zedong and the poet Mao Zedong. It reveals the moving stories behind the verses that are little-known to many. In this book, you can see Mao Zedong's joys and sorrows in love, from his first love to the separation from his wife [The intestines are already broken, tears like rain]. You can see the story behind the first poem he wrote after regaining military command after three years of silence [Remembrance of Qin E, Mount Loushan]. You can learn why, during the ten years in Yan'an, Mao Zedong wrote only one poem, and even his two sons in Moscow failed to obtain a poem from him. You can learn about the story of Mao Zedong sending a poem to Ding Ling via telegraph. You can learn about the background of writing the immortal masterpiece [A Spring Festival Ode to the Snow] and the waves it caused after its publication. Understanding Mao Zedong's poems means understanding China's past, and deepening the understanding of the present and the future. Understanding Mao Zedong's poems means understanding the vast changes that have occurred on this ancient land and the historical drama unfolding on the grand stage of China in the 20th century. The snow and ice covering it seem like countless white dragons soaring into the sky, chilling the entire world. Yet, it is these very snow and ice that, when melted, pour down into the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, instantly bringing vitality to the world. This alternation of cold and heat embodies the millennia of vicissitudes of human civilization. The vast and sincere Kunlun Mountain, you encompass the vast heavens and earth, you embrace the long passage of time. You have witnessed countless days of sunshine and rain, and you have experienced the distant changes of the seas and mountains. The rugged yet delicate Kunlun Mountain, you have created the four seasons, and you shroud them in mysterious wonders. You have nurtured so many colorful lives, and you have cleansed so many living beings. What should we say about your eternal merits and faults? It is better to transform history than to judge it. Mao Zedong imagined something extraordinary. He imagined drawing a sword from the sky that was taller and longer than the Kunlun Mountain, cutting it according to the will of humanity and the needs of history, and distributing it to all countries in the world, so that all people would experience the same cold and heat, achieving equality among nations. Of course, for the Red Army still on the Long March, the most urgent task before them was to deal with the domestic reactionaries who were determined to "eliminate" them. In Mao Zedong's poems, this enemy is like a huge and fierce "Black Dragon." On October 7, 1935, Mao Zedong led the Long March Column across Mount Liupan, which marks the border between Gansu and Ningxia. This was the last mountain the Red Army climbed during the Long March. Afterward, he wrote Liangping Yue·Mount Liupan—
The sky is high, the clouds are light,
Gazing at the southward flying wild geese.
Without reaching the Great Wall, one is not a hero,
Two thousand miles of journey are at hand.
At the peak of Mount Liupan,
Red flags wave in the west wind.
Today, with the long noose in hand,
When will I bind the Black Dragon?
Why did Mao Zedong turn back to "gaze at the southward flying wild geese"? Perhaps he was remembering the martyrs who fell along the way; perhaps he was still concerned about his comrades-in-arms who were fighting in the Soviet areas; perhaps he was expecting the other two main forces of the Red Army still advancing on the Long March; perhaps he was reflecting on the mountains and rivers he had traversed over the past year; perhaps he was still counting the miles of the march on his fingers. P92-93