Inheriting and Carrying Forward the Great Spirit of the War of Resistance in the New Era

Recently, the film *Nanjing Photo Studio* uses small film negatives to reproduce the great history of the War of Resistance, presenting the bloody glory of the Chinese nation with a delicate narrative that goes straight to the heart. It displays the Chinese people's national backbone and brilliant humanity, arousing empathy and resonance among audiences at home and abroad. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Looking back at the War of Resistance, the tragic and stirring years have passed, but the great spirit of the War of Resistance has not faded. Instead, it inspires us to forge ahead bravely through new collective memory and historical echoes.

近日，电影《南京照相馆》以小胶片再现抗战大历史，以直抵人心的细腻叙事展现中华民族的浴血荣光，把中国人的民族血性和光辉人性呈现出来，引发海内外观众共情共鸣。今年是中国人民抗日战争胜利80周年，回望抗战，悲壮峥嵘的岁月已经远去，但伟大抗战精神不曾远去，而是以新的集体记忆和历史回响激励我们奋勇前行。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that we must tell the stories of the War of Resistance well and pass on the great spirit of the War of Resistance from generation to generation. The great spirit of the War of Resistance embodies the absolute loyalty and painstaking efforts of the revolutionary forebears, condenses the essence of the national spirit and the revolutionary spirit, and writes a magnificent epic of unity and indomitable courage. It is an inexhaustible driving force for carrying forward the cause into the future in the New Era. The word "great" in the great spirit of the War of Resistance has profound connotations. This "greatness" is first manifested in great sacrifice and great character: the anti-Japanese volunteers faced death unflinchingly, preferred death to surrender, defied brutal force, and fought to the last drop of blood, "I dedicate my blood to China"[1]1 A line from Lu Xun's poem "Self-Inscription on a Small Portrait" (1931), expressing the poet's determination to devote his life to his country.. China's casualties exceeded 35 million, and it achieved the first complete victory in the modern era against foreign invasion. The War of Resistance was a just struggle, an unyielding struggle, and a people's war. In this trial by fire and blood, the great spirit of the War of Resistance of the Chinese Communists was forged. Today, when building a modern socialist country, we still cannot do without great patriotic feelings, national integrity, heroic spirit, and the conviction of victory.

习近平总书记强调，要讲好抗战故事，把伟大抗战精神一代代传下去。伟大抗战精神凝结了革命先辈的赤胆心血，凝聚了民族精神与革命精神的精华，书写了众志成城、气吞山河的壮丽史诗，是新时代继往开来的不竭动力。伟大抗战精神中的“伟大”二字有着深刻内涵。这个“伟大”，首先表现在伟大牺牲和伟大品格，抗日志士视死如归、宁死不屈，不畏强暴，血战到底，“我以我血荐轩辕”，中国伤亡人数超过3500万，取得近代以来中国抗击外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利。抗日战争是正义的抗争、不屈的斗争和人民的战争，在这场血与火的考验中，锻造了中国共产党人的伟大抗战精神。今天建设现代化强国，依旧离不开伟大的爱国情怀、民族气节、英雄气概和必胜信念。

The great spirit of the War of Resistance contains cultural confidence and is a perfect integration of traditional culture and revolutionary culture. China has been a land of harmony and peace since ancient times: laying down weapons is true martial prowess, and attaining the highest good[2]2 "Laying down weapons is true martial prowess" (止戈为武) is a classical Chinese expression meaning that the highest form of military art is to prevent war; "attaining the highest good" (止于至善) is from *The Great Learning*, meaning to reach the highest state of goodness.; only by being capable of war can war be prevented. The victory of the War of Resistance was, in its essence, the victory of justice and the victory of unity. "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the nation"[3]3 An idiom from Qing dynasty scholar Gu Yanwu's *Record of Daily Knowledge*, expressing the idea that every individual bears responsibility for the fate of the nation.; "face death unflinchingly, prefer death to surrender"; "defy brutal force, fight to the last drop of blood"; "be unyielding and indomitable in the face of all setbacks" — these are a deep integration of national integrity and Party members' moral character, a concentrated embodiment of both blood spirit and Party spirit. These cultural genes transcend time and space, transcend social strata, and consolidate the backbone and confidence of the Chinese people. They are a deeper and more enduring kind of confidence.

伟大抗战精神蕴含了文化自信，是传统文化与革命文化的完美结合。中国自古就是和合之邦，止戈为武、止于至善，能战方能止战。抗战必胜，本质上是正义的胜利、团结的胜利。天下兴亡、匹夫有责，视死如归、宁死不屈，不畏强暴、血战到底，百折不挠、坚忍不拔，是民族气节与党员风骨的深入融合，是血性与党性的集中体现。这些文化基因跨越时空、跨越阶层，凝聚了中国人的骨气和底气，是更为深层、更为持久的自信。

The great spirit of the War of Resistance is like a "telescope": it contains profound and weighty historical thinking, enabling us to discern the historical law that "those who love war will perish, those who forget war will be in danger"[4]4 An adaptation of an ancient Chinese saying, "Those who love war will perish; those who forget war will be in danger," implying the dialectic of preparing for war to maintain peace. and the family-country sentiment of "the state is broken, mountains and rivers remain; the city is in spring, grass and trees are deep"[5]5 Lines from Du Fu's poem "Spring View" (757 AD), depicting the desolation of the capital after war and expressing deep patriotism.. It helps us better grasp where we come from and where we are going. The unprecedented suffering endured in those years has passed, but we must not forget that calamitous history, still less abandon the fine traditions and style of work forged during the War of Resistance. We must not ignore the lessons of history; rather, we should draw wisdom from history, enhance historical initiative, pass through the "Three Gorges of history"[6]6 A metaphorical phrase used by some scholars to describe the tumultuous transition of Chinese society from tradition to modernity, similar to navigating dangerous gorges., and open the path to Chinese modernization.

伟大抗战精神好比“望远镜”，蕴含深远厚重的历史思维，洞悉“好战必亡、忘战必危”的历史规律和“国破山河在，城春草木深”的家国情怀，帮助我们更好把握从哪里来、到哪里去。当年遭受的空前苦难已经远去，但我们不能忘记那段灾难深重的历史，更不能抛弃抗战中形成的优良传统和作风。我们不能忽视历史教训，而要汲取历史智慧，增强历史主动，穿越“历史的三峡”，通往中国现代化之路。

The great spirit of the War of Resistance embodies the outstanding leadership of the Communist Party of China. Faced with a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society and the brutal aggression of Japanese militarism, the Communist Party of China integrated a fragmented and disunited society, organized the masses, and built a "new Great Wall" against the Japanese invaders with their flesh and blood. The War of Resistance was not only arduous but also complex, requiring superb leadership wisdom to deal with all kinds of contradictions. The Communist Party of China scientifically grasped the dialectics of the War of Resistance, correctly handled the relationship between the enemy, ourselves, and our friends; developed progressive forces, won over intermediate forces, and isolated diehard forces; creatively established the Anti-Japanese National United Front, created "Three-Thirds System"[7]7 A democratic political power structure adopted in the Communist-led base areas during the War of Resistance, in which Communists, progressives, and centrists each occupied one-third of the seats. democratic political power, turned passivity into initiative, transformed the spiritual into the material, and turned crisis into opportunity. The enemy rear areas and the frontlines echoed each other, the militia cooperated with the main forces, guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare were organically combined, and the degree of integration between the War of Resistance, the united front, and protracted warfare reached an unprecedented height. The people's patriotic consciousness and organizational consciousness awakened as never before, and the role of the Communist Party of China as the mainstay was fully brought into play. Currently, China is in a crucial period for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It is necessary to continue to bring into play the core leadership role of the Communist Party of China, vigorously inherit and carry forward the great spirit of the War of Resistance, and take the road of the new era's "examination"[8]8 An allusion to Mao Zedong's metaphor at the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the CPC (1949), comparing the task of national construction after the revolutionary victory to taking an examination. Here it is extended to the New Era..

伟大抗战精神凝结了中国共产党的卓越领导力。面对半殖民地半封建社会和日本军国主义的残暴侵略，中国共产党把四分五裂、一盘散沙的社会整合起来，把群众组织起来，用血肉之躯筑起抗击日寇“新的长城”。抗战不仅是艰巨的，而且是复杂的，需要高超的领导智慧，应对各种复杂矛盾。中国共产党科学把握抗战的辩证法，正确处理敌、我、友的关系，发展进步势力，争取中间势力，孤立反对势力；创造性地建立抗日民族统一战线，创建“三三制”民主政权，变被动为主动，把精神变物质，把危机变机遇。敌后战场和正面战场相呼应，民兵与主力部队相配合，游击战与运动战有机结合，抗战、统战、持久战的结合程度达到空前高度，民众的爱国意识和组织观念空前觉醒，中国共产党的中流砥柱作用得到充分发挥。当前，我国正处于实现中华民族伟大复兴的关键时期，需要继续发挥中国共产党的领导核心作用，大力传承和弘扬伟大抗战精神，走好新时代的赶考之路。

Strengthen foundational construction and enhance the sustainability of transmission. Use modern new technologies to rescue, excavate, restore, and protect original physical evidence, the War of Resistance sites, and so on. For example, use modern biotechnology to search for and protect the clothing and hat tombs, graves, and skeletal remains of anti-Japanese officers and soldiers, and systematically display the deeds of the martyrs of the War of Resistance on a scale. Use artificial intelligence to restore the War of Resistance sites, simulate the great victories of the War of Resistance in scenarios, and improve the visual materials and historical maps of the War of Resistance. Establish a comprehensive and three-dimensional digital archive of War of Resistance materials, give full play to the functions of wartime letters, oral histories, and interviews with veterans, use the spiritual history of the War of Resistance to deeply present its arduousness and complexity, concretely and vividly display the radiance of Party spirit and the preciousness of human nature, and internalize political identity into emotional identity. Coordinate the planning of the War of Resistance route experience and the construction of venues, strengthen the application of new media and new technologies, turn the sites of War of Resistance education into a deeply moving "spiritual magnetic field", let the audience "dialogue" with history, and create an immersive visiting experience.

加强基础性建设，增强传承的可持续。利用现代新技术对原始物证、抗战遗址等进行抢救、挖掘、修复和保护。比如利用现代生物技术搜寻保护抗战将士衣冠冢、墓地、遗骨遗骸并系统规模化展陈抗战英烈事迹。运用人工智能复原抗战遗址，情景模拟抗战大捷，完善抗战影像和历史图谱。建立全面立体的抗战资料数字馆，充分发挥抗战家书、口述历史、老兵访谈等功能，用抗战心灵史深度呈现抗战的艰巨性和复杂性，深入具象化地展现党性的光芒和人性的可贵，把政治认同内化为情感认同。统筹抗战路线体验规划和场馆建设，强化新媒体新技术运用，把抗战教育场所营造为感人至深的“精神磁场”，让观众与历史“对话”，打造沉浸式参观体验。

Deepen institutional construction to ensure the effectiveness of transmission. Primary and secondary schools, secondary vocational schools, and institutions of higher learning can deepen the integration of the great spirit of the War of Resistance into textbooks and classrooms, and tell the stories of the War of Resistance in a life-oriented, humanistic way. Standardize the creation of films, television, and literary works themed on the War of Resistance, fully and accurately reflect the historical facts of the War of Resistance, neither deify nor belittle nor stigmatize them — only in this way can they be credible, respectable, and worthy of learning. Step up the legal protection of martyrs, improve the laws and regulations for the protection of the War of Resistance sites and red resources, and ensure that the great spirit of the War of Resistance is passed on in accordance with regulations and laws, transmitted in the heart and passed down through the ages.

深化制度建设，保障传承的实效性。中小学、中等职业学校和高等院校可以深化伟大抗战精神进教材、进课堂，以生活化、人文性方式讲好抗战故事。规范抗战题材的影视、文学创作，全面准确反映抗战史实，不神化、不矮化、不污名化，这样才可信、可敬、可学。加大英烈法治化保护力度，完善抗战遗址和红色资源保护法规，让伟大抗战精神依规依法传承，传之于心，传之久远。

(Author: Xiao Chunbai, Professor of the Department of Party History and Party Building, Hangzhou Municipal Party School, and specially invited researcher of the National Party Building Research Association)

（作者：肖纯柏，系杭州市委党校党史党建教研部教授、全国党建研究会特邀研究员）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心