Social Science Dynamics | Xie Youshun: Revisit "The Korean War" and look at China's power in the world's changing situation

The war that broke out in 1950 was the first large-scale international local war after World War II, and was called the "founding war" of New China. "Korean War" is a documentary literary work that tells the story of this war. In the lecture, Professor Xie sorted out the beginning and end of the Korean War for readers from three aspects: the collection and application of historical materials, the analysis of specific historical events, and the description of historical figures.

Professor Xie believes that in the book "Korean War", there is not only a record of real history, but also a reasonable literary imagination of the author, which realizes the balance between literature and authenticity, so that the book has flesh and blood and readability, which can not only truly restore history, but also vividly show the emotional scene, which is different from historical works. Among them, the collection and collation of first-hand information is the most important part of historical writing. A major breakthrough in the academic study of the Korean War was the declassified archives obtained by the famous scholar Professor Shen Zhihua in the former Soviet Union. It is with these precious historical materials that we can have a deeper understanding of the Korean War.

Professor Xie said that from a historical point of view, the Korean War began on the "38th Line" and returned to the end of the "38th Line", which seemed to be a draw, but for New China, breaking the myth of the invincibility of the US military was an indisputable "victory". As Marshal Peng Dehuai said, "Gone are the centuries when Western invaders could seize a country with just a few cannons on a coast in the East." ”

The book "Korean War" not only has a detailed description of the origin of the war and important battles, but also a vivid portrayal of major historical figures such as Mao Zedong, Peng Dehuai, MacArthur, and a wonderful telling of the touching stories of ordinary volunteer soldiers.

There were many primary and secondary school students in the audience, and Professor Xie said, "In the compulsory education stage, children should play more, and only in a relaxed and positive state can they learn more effectively." He believes that under the national "double reduction" policy, parents should encourage children to read independently in their spare time, in addition to the bibliography required by the school, to guide children to read books that interest them, even famous books across age groups, which helps to improve reading ability, analysis ability, writing ability and cognitive ability, benefiting a lifetime. He does not approve of simple happy reading, but suggests guiding children to read "difficult" books, "in repeated reading to learn to overcome difficulties, the ability will be greatly improved."

For the reading of red classic books, Professor Xie believes that revisiting history is to care for reality and warn the present. "Take history as a mirror and learn from history." Red history education is very important for young people, but it can be done in a variety of ways, and it needs to be guided, interpreted and inspired by someone to show the influence of culture in a subtle way. ”

Correspondent Sun Xudong Xu Qi

Guangzhou Daily New Flower City Editor Chen Wenjie