Chongqing’s Implementing Chinese Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area Project (I)

Translated by Gong Xiaohui

Editor's note: Chongqing began to implement Sino-Japanese War Time Great Rear Area History& cultural Research and Construction Project (Briefly named as Sino-Japanese War Time Great Rear Area Project, Project), which is both a cultural project with great significance in national strategy and the most ambitious and influential proposal of China in recent years’ research on Sino-Japanese War. For five years, the project has made great achievement and exerted great influence on mainland and overseas, specially on two sides of Taiwan strait. Therefore, we specially invited Professor Zhouyong, the Vice Minister of the Chongqing Propaganda Ministry of CPC Chonqing Municipal Party Committee, director of National Salvation Work Office of Chongqing Municipal Party Committee, director of Collaborative Innovation Center of Sino-Japanese War Time Great Rear Area Research to compose this paper to introduce the particulars and development of this project.

The victory of anti-Japanese war is the great turning point for Chinese nation to march forward from decay to rejuvenation.

Chongqing is a historic & cultural famous city of China with a long history, magnificent culture and glorious tradition. During the period of Anti-Japanese War, Chongqing became the capital of China then, the location of the South Bureau of the Central Committee of CPC, the major political stage of anti-Japanese national united front and the location of supreme command in oriental battlefield of world Anti-Fascism War. Chongqing has made huge historic contribution to the victory of China's anti-Japanese war and world Anti-Fascism War. Chongqing thereby became the world heroic city on a par with Washington, Moscow and London.

Chongqing has complete types and various in historic & cultural resources of Anti-Japanese War. There are 395points of existing relics of Anti-Japanese War in the whole city, rich in relics types, including 97 important cultural relic sites under state-level protection by the Central Government, above 500thousands rolls of historic archives during Anti-Japanese War kept in Chongqing Municipal Archives and all the district and county Archives, 30thousand kinds, about 100thousand volumes of books and documents and over 5thousand newspapers and periodicals during Anti-Japanese War kept in Chongqing Library and all the districts and counties and colleges. This is the unique advantage for carrying out a large scale of research and construction on history and culture of the Great Rear Area during Anti-Japanese War.

The historic & cultural resources of Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area is the precious wealth of Chinese Nation, specially the historic & cultural resources with most significant historic value, weakest development status and more urgent salvation and protection. Compared with other districts, it is essential resources of Chongqing’s historic and cultural vein and the historic accordance and meaning of Chongqing’s new culture, and also one of Chongqing’s most important cultural marks.

I. Origin and Significance of Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area Project

In the season when Chongqing experienced anti-Japanese War the times has condensed the progressive forces of China and world which had devoted and gathered Chinese wisdom into the spiritual and cultural wealth of the human being. It has provided important historic experience and adaptation carrier for us to devote Chinese wisdom to harmonious world for the world today. This is both the common inveterate historic culture and soul & memory of Chinese nation and Chinese descent and the precious spiritual wealth of all mankind. Therefore, developing and strengthening the historic and cultural research and construction of Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area with Chongqing as the center embodies the willing of Chinese nation and the common wish of international academia.

Since China’s reformation and opening to the outside, all social sectors both at home and abroad, specially all the democratic parties, people's representative and CPPCC National Committee members have made a lot of comments and suggestions. Chinese residents overseas and international society also put high expectations on this overtaking. Chongqing academia has carried out a lot of overtakings and made some major achievements.

Since 2008, Chongqing Municipal Party Committee proposed the concept of integrally developing and inheriting history and culture in Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area, which has been concerned and supported by the leaders in Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council and the various ministries and commissions under the State Council like Propaganda Department of the Central Committee, Party Literature Research Center of CPC Central Committee, Party History Research Center of CPC Central Committee, Ministry of Culture, State Press and Publication Administration and State Bureau for Preservation of Cultural Relics [China]. In June, 2009, Fifth Plenary Session of Chongqing third session of committee of the Communist Party of China has passed a resolution titled as CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee’s Resolution on Promoting Cultural Development and Prosperity and decided to implement historic and cultural research and construction project of Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area in Chongqing and drafted and issued in May 2010 the Outline of Historic and Cultural Research and Construction Project of Sino-Japanese War time Great Rear Area in Chongqing. Determine to take the Outline as the guiding, in the future several years, to build Great Rear Area Project during Chinese Anti-Japanese War into a major first-rate cultural project with world influence. Carrying out such vast and numerous project has very essential significance.

(I)Carrying out this project，adhering scientific research and academic spirit of being practical and realistic helps to deepen and expand the research on modern Chinese history, history of resistance against Japan, rejuvenation history of Chinese nation, History of Relationship between K.M.T and C.C.P, Chinese and democratic parties history and the history of the Second World War and further check Taiwan independence from literary theory and legal theory and adhere One China Principle.

Learning properly from the historic experience and lesson shall be based on scientific theoretic direction and basic historical research foundation. Without objective, deep and systematic research, it is impossible to evaluate practically and realistically the status and function during Chinese Anti-Japanese War in the world Anti-Fascism War and it is also impossible to make clear practically and realistically the historic contradictions and origin of conflict influencing for a long term the relationship between the Communist Party or the Kuomintang. Firmly entrenched in political struggle terms, satisfied in political conclusion set as early as a few decades ago, fettered by prejudice, drawing a circle on the ground to serve as a prison are neither advantageous to academic research nor favorable for concluding historic experience and lesson, let alone rationally and moderately dealing with questions left over by history and keeping these lessons of history firmly in mind and carrying forward the cause and forging ahead into the future. Therefore, we shall adhere to the guiding of scientific theory, keep to academic standards and spare no efforts to revert the historical fact to type. Moreover, we shall establish us in a new situation and expand new field, exploring new historical material, advance new ideas, building up a new system, and climb peak in academic research based on the existing academic research result and thereby deep the understanding of Chinese modern history, anti-Japanese War history, Chinese nation’s rejuvenation history, the History of Relationship between K.M.T and C.C.P, Chinese democratic parties history and second World War history. More importantly, the basic premise of Anti-Japanese historic and cultural research, specially that of the historic research on second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation is One China principle. Therefore, to study the history of Kuomintang-Communist co-operation is to demonstrate One China principle and to adhere to One China principle and to check Taiwan independence from literary theory and legal theory, which is the most actual contribution for academia on two parts across the Straits to adhere to One China Principle.

(II) Carrying out this project helps to check thorough Japanese invaders' crimes, and plays a unique role in maintaining after-war international order, building up new state-to-state relationship and building up a harmonious world.

The victory of anti-Japanese is hard-won, and so is international new order after World War II and the world peace. The history after the war tells us it is only through thorough clearing up the Japanese fascist crime of invasion in China, for the Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future that everlasting peace will be made between China and Japan. Pushing the historical and cultural research and construction of Anti-Japanese Great Rear Area ahead is advantageous to restore the truth, expose the lies of Japanese Right Wing to distort the history and prettify the crime of invasion, specially advantageous to consolidating the footstone function of international legal documents like the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Declaration to after-war international order and checking Japanese Right Wing and promoting the China-Japan relationship to develop forward healthily and stably. During the Anti-Japanese War, after the breaking of the Pacific war, China took the lead to fight against the Japanese fascists together with America, Russia and Britain and defense justice and gain victory at last which had been at the price of blood and life of all the Chinese peoples and peoples of the Allies' and become a solid historic heritage and a common history remembrance. Fully utilizing the precious historic & cultural resources of jointly fighting carried out by China, America, Russia and Britain and consolidating the cooperation and interaction of allied countries in war in the aspect of historical research on anti-Japanese War help to further build up affiliation with the peoples in the world and evoke their common historic emotion and facilitate for building up favorable new state-to-state relationship, commonly maintaining after-war international new order, creating a harmonious world and peaceful and developing environment.

(III) carrying out this project helps to fully understand the major significance and deep influence of the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation and anti-Japanese national united front and further consolidate the responsibility and consciousness of developing Kuomintang-Communist relationship and the relations across the Straits and further uphold anti-Japanese War spirit and strengthen the cohesion of Chinese nation.

Communist Party of China and Kuomintang are two parties on Chinese political stage influencing Chinese modern historical process. Although the two parties differ greatly in the aspects of political belief and political programme, they have experience of cooperation for twice. Specially the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation during anti-Japanese War played an important role of promotion of national rejuvenation and improvement of countries. Through promoting the historic and cultural research and construction of Chinese anti-Japanese Great Rear Area and carrying out comparing & contrasting, arranging & research and reinterpreting of the material kept locally, we can further study the course full of hardships and setbacks of Kuomintang-Communist co-operation during the period of anti-Japanese War and restore the historic truth of the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation; further study the historic track of occurrence and development of anti-Japanese national united front, and its formation system and methods, and understand the historic and experience and lesson of all the intermediate parties’ growth and make great effort to uphold the great anti-Japanese War spirit; systematically demonstrate the major results gained by the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation and the victory to anti-Japanese War, scientifically understanding the historic opportunity of great turn for Chinese nation to march forward to rejuvenation and deep influence on the development of Kuomintang-Communist; after summing up and analyzing the serious damage to national rejuvenation and national profit exerted by the two-party’s political contrasting, disunity of the country, it is particularly necessary to fully understand the experience and lesson of Kuomintang-Communist’s Union favorable for the state, separation leading to national suffering at present.

(IV) Carrying out this project helps to learn from historic experience and tackle the difference between the two traits and increase mutual-trust and solve the historic remaining problems and remove the historic cognitive disorder for realizing the peaceful unification of motherland.

The history of second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation during anti-Japanese War both represents the two parties’ seeking common ground and reserving differences and making certain concessions for the interests of the state, and the two parties’ wisdom contesting and strength struggling. The success of the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation in anti-Japanese War promoted the national rejuvenation and exerted major influence on the development of Kuomintang-Communist co-operation. At present China has changed historically and the relationship between China and the world has also changed historically. With the integrally increasing of comprehensive national strength, Chinese culture has been promoted all over China and abroad and China’s international status and influence are further enhanced and the Exchange and cooperation between the two parties ushered in new international environment while the two sides across the Taiwan Straits conspired development. The ultimate aim of historic research is not only to know the past, but also to understand the present and guide us the future. Promoting the historic & cultural research and construction of China’s anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area, deepening the research on anti-Japanese War history of Chinese nation, correctly understanding the history, result, influence and experience and lesson of the second Kuomintang-Communist co-operation from a scientific historic view help to improve the historic acknowledgment of Kuomintang-Communist parties and two sides of Taiwan Straits, solve the historic remaining problems in cross-straits relationship and build up the cornerstone of mutual-belief of politics of the both sides and eliminate the historic cognitive disorder of peaceful unity of motherland and promote to terminate the politically opposing deadlock of the both parties and both sides of Taiwan Straits and realize the early unity of motherland.

(V) Carrying out this project helps to build up Chongqing’s city spirit, cultivate Chongqing’s core competency, further increase Chongqing’s influence and reputation and make greater contribution to national unity and solidarity.

Anti-Japanese War made Chongqing upgrade its historic status to the capital of China during Anti-Japanese War and promoted the great urban development of modern Chongqing. Anti-Japanese War culture became Chongqing’s unique and invaluable historic & cultural resources and precious resources to cultivate Chongqing’s cultural core competency and enhance urban cultural image of Chongqing. Promoting historic research and construction of Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area not only elevates the level of Chongqing’s historic research and improvement of study, but also drives Chongqing’s urban historic & cultural facilities construction, moreover, it helps to create Chongqing’s urban spirit and train the urban cultural core competency and elevate Chongqing’s international status and promote Chongqing’s influence and prestige and provide solid historic and cultural support for Chongqing’s scientific development.

II. Major details and progress during Chinese Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area Project

Chinese Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area Project is rich in details and complete in structure, including six aspects of historic& cultural research, relics salvage& protection, documents and archives construction, literature masterpiece creation, cultural facilities construction and external exchange and cooperation.

(I) Historic& cultural research

We shall adhere to the basic requirements of Chinese Stand, International outlook, academic standard, first-rate, joining western mainstream society, serving overall national situation in the project and carry out profound and systematic research on the major problems in the aspects of politics, economy, culture and society in great rear area during anti-Japanese War, specially carry out historic & cultural research on Great Rear Area of anti-Japanese War in the major transition historic course of Chinese nation from decay to rejuvenation, trying examining them in the great background of World Anti-Fascism War and discussing them in the great historic background of Chinese new-democratic revolution led by Communist Party of China and provide solid academic basis for the protection and utilization of historic & cultural resources during anti-Japanese War and strive to produce a series of high-level, high-quality great works handed down for generations in the national standard.

Between 2008-2013, Chongqing undertook major project of national social science research titled as Kuomintang-Communist co-operation and its experience research during anti-Japanese War- with the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Northeast Bureau and anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area as the center, national major publishing project titled as historic & cultural research series during Chinese Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area (100volumes); Chongqing headed the research of 10National Fund projects in Social Science, 20 Chongqing major bidding items or authorized items in philosophy and social science, various Chongqing social science planning projects; over 100papers published in Modern History Research, Anti-Japanese War Research, Research on History of the Chinese Communist Party, the literature of the Party and the Kuangming Daily; Chongqing also published a series of major scholarly writings, among which some had been selected into National Library Results of Philosophy and Social Science in 2012; Chongqing has set up PhD degree authorization of history as the top discipline and established talents training system from bachelor degree to post doctoral programs.

Research is mainly conducted in the following fields: Kuomintang-Communist co-operation and anti-Japanese national united front, economy and society in Great Rear Area of anti-Japanese War, cultural education in Great Rear Area of anti-Japanese War, Chinese international intercourse during war, nation and frontier in Great Rear Area of anti-Japanese War, protection and development of cultural resources during anti-Japanese War, Hongyan spirit and anti-Japanese War national spirit, international joint research on Sino-Japaneses War, exchanges and cooperation between Chongqing and Taiwan.

The representative results are as follows: National Social Science Research titled as Kuomintang-Communist Co-operation and its Experience Research is a specially authorized project of national social science funds approve and initiated by national philosophy and social science planning office in 2009 and one of the symbolic result of China Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area Project. It was headed by Prof. Zhouyong and mainly studied by Niujun, Lirong, Panxun, Zhang Guoyong, Hu Daniu, Liu Zhiying and Zhang Shouguang. It includes 8sub topics like interior and exterior environment, establishment and development, policy and strategy, pattern and mechanism, cooperation dispute conflict, achievement and influence of second Kuomintang-Communist Co-operation, and evolution of Kuomintang-Communist relationship since the breaking of the second Kuomintang-Communist Co-operation, historic experience of the second Kuomintang-Communist Co-operation and the instruction meaning of developing the relationship between the two traits at present.

Historic & Cultural Research Series during Chinese Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area (100volumes) is major publishing project funded by national press& publishing Administration national publishing funds between 2008 and 2009 mainly in the form of Archival Documents, scholarly treatise, popular literature and electronic publications, with full extent reflecting historic culture in Great Rear Area during Chinese anti-Japanese War, characterized as collection publishing of archive and literature kept in mainland China, Taiwan and overseas (Britain and America), strives for becoming Chinese first-rate, international rate of the classic handed down from one generation to another to commemorate 70th anniversary of the success of Chinese people’s anti-Japanese War. The series is one of the symbolic results during Chinese Anti-Japanese War Great Rear Area Project, edited mainly by Zhang Kaiyuan, the famous historian and educator, compiled by Prof. Zhouyong as the head and published by Chongqing Publishing House successively since 2010.

――Research on Bombing in Chongqing during anti-Japanese War is the final results of funds project of national philosophy and social science (western project) and Truth, Justice and Peace: Research on remaining problems of Bombing Chongqing during anti-Japanese War and one of the symbolic result of anti-Japanese Great Rear Area Project, were held by Prof. Panxun, and selected into 2012’s Achievement Collection of national philosophy and social science, and was published in 2013 by Commercial Press. Based on fully absorbing the previous research results, this book carried out integral, systematic and deep research on the relevant problems like Japanese army’s bombing Chongqing and anti-bombing struggle carried out by Chongqing circles by an academic standard, in Chinese stand and from international horizons, so it was highly praised as the most authoritative research result on Chongqing’s Bombing Research until now.

--casualties and property loss during Chongqing’s anti-Japanese War is the major part of casualties and property loss during anti-Japanese War, the major project of national philosophy and social science funds, held by Prof. Zhouyong, assisted by Prof. Panxun, published in 2011 by History Press of the Chinese Communist Party. It includes five parts of Investigation Report on casualties and property loss, file historical data, documentation of the literature, testimony of the witnesses and Events Chronicle as the latest result and authoritative work on casualties and property loss during Chongqing’s anti-Japanese War.

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