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Page 1 of 11 “Resist the U.S., Assist Korea:”
China’s Cinematic Response to the Korean War
© Shaoyi Sun  One of the most interesting aspects of war is its overwhelming power in reducing a complex reality to a black-and-white picture. War, either in the name of defending “freedom” and “democracy” or in the name of fighting “imperialism,” requires both sides, at least when it is still being waged, to demonize the other so that a large number of “patriotic” people can be mobilized. While the complexity of the world and the ambiguity of human condition demand sophistication and careful reflection, war dramatizes the contrast between “them” and “us,” dichotomizes the world into two hostile camps, and re-categorizes the ordinary people as either “heroes” or “villains.” In this sense, war functions much like a big budget Hollywood melodrama that celebrates how the “good” finally overpowers the “evil” as well as how “normality” (peace) is restored through virtuous actions. To rally the broad masses of the people round patriotic feelings, both sides at war need to mobilize every imaginable form of propaganda to boost one’s own morale yet at the same time to instigate hatred towards the other, and filmmaking plays a vital role in this process.
Immediately after the Chinese Peoples’ Volunteers crossed the Yalu River in October 1950, a nationwide campaign of “Resist the U.S., Assist Korea, Protect Our Homes, and Defend Our Country” began in China. Along with the land reform movement and the movement to suppress reactionaries, the “Resist the U.S., Assist Korea” campaign was one of the three most widespread movements launched in the early years of the People’s Republic. Within a short span of time, committees that specifically handled the Korean War affairs were established in almost every county, village, city district, and neighborhood community. This institutional mobilization of the entire Chinese nation made it easier for propaganda messages to penetrate into the hearts of the Chinese people. To carry the “Resist the U.S., Assist Korea” propaganda, every possible means was eagerly adopted to enhance the effectiveness of the campaign. While traditional media, such as newspapers, pamphlets, and radio broadcasting, were of primary importance, the graphic arts, including cartoon books, posters, and big character slogans, played a pivotal role in reaching a large mass audience. A somewhat unique form of dissemination of propaganda messages was the large-scale accusation or “struggle” gatherings that, along with mass rallies and parades, turned out to be the most important part of China’s political landscape during the Cultural Revolution. |
