A banner that leads the whole nation in the war of resistance

Agnes · Smedley were United States leading journalists, progressive writers, and social activists. At the end of 1928, at the age of 36, Smedley crossed the ocean to China and witnessed the changes of the Chinese revolution. In January 1937, Smedley arrived in the long-awaited Yan'an, where he came into close contact with members of the Chinese Communist Party and the military. After the outbreak of the all-out War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, tens of thousands of Red Army troops in northern Shaanxi were reorganized into the Eighth Route Army to cross the Yellow River eastward, advance into North China, and rush to the forefront of resisting Japanese aggression. Smedley was allowed to follow the Eighth Route Army to the front, becoming the first foreign correspondent in the Eighth Route Army. "China is Fighting Back" is a true record of her going deep into the front line and fighting together with the Eighth Route Army. Smedley used the form of a diary to introduce to the world the real situation of the Chinese military and civilians resisting Japan's aggression from the perspective of an eyewitness and delicate brushstrokes, and showed the firm belief in victory of the Communist Party of China and the Eighth Route Army led by it.

"They fought in unheard-of difficult conditions"

In the early days of the War of Resistance Against Japan, China was far behind Japan on a material basis. The Eighth Route Army fought to the death in enemy-occupied areas with an enemy armed to the teeth, and its conditions were unimaginably difficult. The areas Smedley traveled through were so scarce that they couldn't even buy ordinary coarse paper, "no vegetable oil or fat, no salt, no fuel." The Eighth Route Army often faced food shortages and could only survive on millet and other limited supplies. "Sometimes, there are no vegetables at all. Sugar, on the other hand, is simply unheard of. "The soldiers of the Eighth Route Army are all suffering from hunger. Smedley's guards all had the experience of going without food for days and being semi-starved for weeks and months. The Japanese army had trucks, airplanes, and all kinds of efficient means of transportation when fighting, while the Eighth Route Army had only donkeys, horses, and a small number of mules, and almost all of them walked on two legs. Smedley had to write bitterly: "They fought in unheard-of difficult conditions, without winter clothes, without enough food, without money. However, the harsh environment did not deter the Eighth Route Army, and they "marched and fought in extremely difficult conditions, constantly marching forward in the face of heavy snow and strong winds."

Smedley's high fighting spirit to defend her home and country was deeply infected, and although she had to endure the hardships of working conditions and face the possibility of death in the war, she firmly believed that it was the "most pleasant and meaningful day" of her life. She wrote in her diary: "I would rather choose this life of a bowl of rice a day than have everything that a 'civilized' society can give me." ”

"We are active among the masses of the people"

After the July 7 Incident, the Communist Party of China clearly pointed out that the central key to winning the War of Resistance was to make the War of Resistance that had already been launched "develop into a comprehensive war of resistance for the whole nation." In Shanxi, the Eighth Route Army inherited the fine tradition of the Red Army being a combat force, a work team, and a propaganda team, mobilizing, organizing, and arming the masses wherever it went. Smedley noted that the Eighth Route Army had to be disciplined first of all in every place they went: they had to keep their houses clean and clean before leaving; If you sleep on a door panel or straw, the door panel and straw must be returned; If there is any loss or damage, it should be reported and compensated by the company...... The close relationship between the Eighth Route Army and the people won it great social prestige and trust. Smedley lamented that unlike other Chinese troops, the Eighth Route Army "could often mobilize the entire inhabitants of a town, including women, children, and the elderly, to strike at the enemy with every weapon at their disposal." More than once, Smedley met people who were preparing to join the Eighth Route Army, and under the leadership of the Eighth Route Army, they set up self-defense units and guerrilla units to cooperate with the troops and became the reserve force of the Eighth Route Army. A guerrilla force of 1,200 to 1,500 people in Shanxi's Wutai Mountains grew to more than 10,000 in just over a month. At first, the people of Shanxi did not know enough about the Eighth Route Army, and when they saw the army coming, some of them were frightened and hid in the mountains, but when they learned that it was a communist unit that specialized in fighting the Japan invaders, many of them immediately left for their homes and took out the hidden things to entertain the Eighth Route Army. Even the foreign missionaries of the church often donated clothing and prayed for the Eighth Route Army, which was once considered "infidels."

The route of the Eighth Route Army was never leaked by the common people, and Peng Dehuai explained to Smedley that this was because "the Eighth Route Army is like a fish, and the people are like water." We are active among the masses of the people". Through this trip, Smedley also clarified what strength the Eighth Route Army relied on to hold on: "The main force of the Communists who led this army was never in the military, but in the close and organic ties with the people. Although the Eighth Route Army was small in number, "its strength was greatly strengthened by the concerted support of the people."

"This army is the hope of China and Asia"

Since the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Communist Party of China has become a banner leading the whole nation's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. From the moment he crossed the Yellow River, Smedley realized that the Eighth Route Army would stay with the people of North China, organize them, arm them, and hold out to the end until the Japan were driven out. Jude told her: "We must fight again and again until our country is completely liberated and there is no enemy soldier left on our land." Peng Dehuai told her: "No matter what happens, this army will never leave the people of North China." ”

According to Smedley, "where there are soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, there is a defensive line". Just as Mao Zedong pointed out, the Eighth Route Army's "best play" in Shanxi was to carry out independent guerrilla warfare. The commanders and fighters of the Eighth Route Army were observing and waiting for fighters every moment, and they destroyed the enemy's lines of communication, divided the enemy into small units, and then eliminated them separately, effectively pinning down and striking at the Japanese army. The Eighth Route Army's persistence in the War of Resistance in Shanxi also made the Kuomintang generals admire it. When Smedley interviewed Wei Lihuang in Linfen about how he could defend Shanxi, Wei Lihuang said that he "relied on organizing and arming the people", and this answer was like that from the Eighth Route Army, which surprised Smedley. Wei Lihuang did not hide his admiration for the Eighth Route Army, "That's a good army, they have the best soldiers who are not afraid of death!" He even gave a thumbs up to Smedley and said, "Communists are all this-." The uncompromising attitude of the Communist Party of China and the unyielding unyielding of the Eighth Route Army, which "defended China wholeheartedly and with all its might," played a mainstay role in the nation's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. This made Smedley deeply feel that even the most ordinary office of the Eighth Route Army was "an oasis in the bleak and miserable desert of today's China." She sincerely believes that "this army is the hope of China and Asia."

"China is Fighting Back" is a vivid historical record, which not only records the course and achievements of China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, but also shows the bravery and tenacity of the Chinese military and civilians. In the summer of 1938, China Strikes Back was published simultaneously in New York and London, giving the Western world an insight into the true face of China's resistance to Japan's aggression. Anna · Louis ·Strong wrote the preface to the book, hailing it as "an important work because it covers the first battles fought by the Eighth Route Army in northern Shanxi that brought new hope to China and new tactics to all fronts." With his own pen, Smedley propagated China's anti-Japanese war spirit and revolutionary ideals to the world, and made valuable contributions to China's revolutionary cause.