Academic Research and Spiritual Inheritance of the History of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was a modern war fought under conditions of extreme disparity in the forces of the two sides. It was a just war waged by the Chinese people to support the Korean people, resist U.S. aggression, and defend national security. The victory in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea profoundly shaped the national destiny and international status of New China.

抗美援朝战争是在交战双方力量极其悬殊的条件下进行的一场现代化战争，是中国人民为支援朝鲜人民、抵抗美国侵略、保卫国家安全而进行的一场正义战争。抗美援朝的胜利，深刻塑造了新中国的国家命运与国际地位。

Over the past 70 years, academic research on issues related to the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea has emerged in an endless stream. In recent years, the perspectives and methods of research on the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea have become increasingly diversified. Scholars have begun to pay more attention to new dimensions such as logistical support, social mobilization, cultural construction, and war memory. Research paradigms have also placed greater emphasis on the excavation and analysis of local archives and oral materials, which has not only broken down disciplinary barriers but also expanded the field of study.

70余年来，学术界对抗美援朝相关问题的研究层出不穷。近年来，抗美援朝研究的视角与方法日益多元化，学者开始更多关注后勤保障、社会动员、文化建设、战争记忆等新层面，研究范式也更加注重地方档案和口述资料的挖掘和分析，不仅打破了学科壁垒，而且拓展了研究领域。

Small Perspectives and Big Issues in Research on the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

抗美援朝研究的小视角与大问题

At the beginning of the founding of New China, the national economy was in a state of depression, the people were destitute, and all walks of life were waiting to be revitalized, forming a stark contrast with the United States, whose comprehensive national power ranked first in the world. The disparity in national strength between China and the United States was enormous, but the outcome of the war was unexpected and deserves in-depth summary. By examining the experiences of grassroots units and ordinary soldiers in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, it is not only a respect for individual lives but can also enrich the historical narrative system. Chinese scholars must participate more effectively in international dialogue, disseminate China's voice, and construct a discourse system for the study of the history of material life with Chinese characteristics. Through the investigation and cognition of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea from the perspective of the history of material life, it is more conducive to intuitively and vividly understanding General Secretary Xi Jinping's incisive summary and in-depth promotion of the great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

新中国成立之初，国家经济凋敝，人民一穷二白，各行各业百废待兴，与综合国力高居世界第一的美国形成了强烈对比。中美国力悬殊，但是战争结局出人意料，值得深入总结。通过考察抗美援朝中基层单位、普通士兵等的体验，不仅是对个体生命的尊重，还可以丰富历史叙述体系。中国学者要更有效参与国际对话、传播中国声音，构建中国特色的物质生活史研究话语体系。通过对抗美援朝物质生活史视角的考察和认知，更有利于直观生动地体会习近平总书记对抗美援朝伟大精神的精辟总结和深入弘扬。

The vast number of volunteer soldiers resolutely went to fight in Korea after the Party Central Committee issued the great call to "resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea, protect our homes and defend our country." This first and foremost embodies the patriotic spirit of placing the interests of the motherland and the people above all else and fighting fearlessly for the dignity of the motherland and the nation, as well as the internationalist spirit of striving for the cause of human peace and justice.

广大志愿军在党中央发出“抗美援朝，保家卫国”伟大号召后毅然赴朝作战，首先体现的就是祖国和人民利益高于一切、为了祖国和民族的尊严而奋不顾身的爱国主义精神，以及为了人类和平与正义事业而奋斗的国际主义精神。

During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and even the movement, clothing was not only a basic tool for keeping warm and protecting oneself but also a carrier of emotions, spirit, and social relations. These seemingly ordinary objects carried excessive physiological and psychological significance under extreme circumstances. Studying the issue of "clothing" is essentially studying the living conditions and logistical system of the volunteer soldiers. By tracking the production, transportation, distribution, and recycling of clothing, the resilience of the national industrial capacity, the logistical system, and the wartime social mobilization mechanism can be revealed. Research on the history of materials and technology can, through analyzing cotton cloth, parachute fabric, and dyeing techniques, understand material reuse and technological innovation under conditions of extreme material scarcity. Research on the history of medicine links clothing to frostbite, non-combat deaths, and medical rescue, providing data support for quantifying the contribution of clothing to combat sustainability.

在抗美援朝战争乃至运动中，衣物既是御寒、防护的基本工具，也是情感、精神与社会关系的载体。这些看似普通的物件，在极端环境下承载了过多的生理和心理意义，研究“衣”的问题，实际上也就是研究志愿军的生存状态与后勤体系。通过追踪衣物的生产、运输、分配和回收，可以揭示国家工业能力、后勤体系韧性以及战时社会动员机制。材料史与工艺史研究则可以通过分析棉布、降落伞布和染色技术，理解在物资极度匮乏条件下的材料再利用与技术创新。医学史研究则将衣物与冻伤、非战斗死亡和医疗救护联系起来，为量化衣物对战斗持续力的贡献提供数据支持。

In a high-intensity modern war such as the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the importance of food security became increasingly prominent. The volunteer soldiers fought far from the national border, and their supplies relied almost entirely on domestic supply. However, the battle lines on the Korean battlefield were deep, the terrain was complex, and the enemy possessed almost absolute air superiority, which posed unprecedented challenges to the food supply of the volunteer soldiers. Under such extreme conditions, whether basic rations could be maintained and soldiers' combat effectiveness could be ensured became the key to whether the war could continue and even determine the final outcome. In the eyes of those who experienced the war, food is a dual memory of the body and spirit: it records the hunger and hardship at the front line and also carries the memory of arduous combat. "A handful of parched flour and a handful of snow" and "glorious tea" embody the challenge to survival and the adherence to revolutionary conviction, fully demonstrating the revolutionary optimism of the volunteer soldiers who feared no hardship or difficulty and always maintained high morale.

在抗美援朝这样的高强度现代战争中，粮食保障的重要性愈发凸显。志愿军远离国境作战，物资几乎全靠国内供应。然而，朝鲜战场的战线纵深大、地形复杂，加之敌军拥有几乎绝对的制空权，这给志愿军的粮食保障带来了前所未有的挑战。在这种极端条件下，能否维持基本的口粮供应、保障士兵战斗力，成为战争能否持续推进乃至最终胜负的关键所在。在战争亲历者眼中，食物是身体与精神的双重记忆：它记录了前线的饥饿与艰难，也承载了艰苦战斗的记忆。“一把炒面一把雪”“光荣茶”体现的是对生存的挑战和对革命信念的坚守，充分彰显了志愿军不畏艰难困苦、始终保持高昂士气的革命乐观主义精神。

In the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the practice of the volunteer soldiers regarding "shelter" was an important thread running through the entire cycle of the war, profoundly reflecting the characteristics of the war and the spiritual character of the military. "Shelter" is far from a simple issue of physical space; it is a multi-dimensional historical phenomenon integrating military logistics, survival wisdom, political work, and spiritual construction. Through strong political work, collectivist cooperation and mutual assistance, and the cultural creation of revolutionary optimism, the volunteer soldiers successfully transformed the physical space of "shelter" into a "spiritual crucible" for forging will, consolidating emotions, and manifesting values. The narrative of "taking hardship as glory" and "taking the tunnel as home" endowed hardship itself with lofty significance, not only becoming an important factor in maintaining and enhancing combat effectiveness but also forming a revolutionary loyalty spirit of generously dedicating everything to fulfill the mission entrusted by the motherland and the people.

抗美援朝战争中，志愿军关于“住”的实践是一条贯穿战争全周期、深刻反映战争特质与军队精神品格的重要脉络。“住”远非一个单纯的物质空间问题，而是一个集军事后勤、生存智慧、政治工作与精神建构于一体的多维历史现象。通过强有力的政治工作、集体主义的协作互助以及革命乐观主义的文化创造，志愿军将士成功地将“住”的物理空间转化为锻造意志、凝聚情感、彰显价值的“精神熔炉”。“以苦为荣”“以坑道为家”的叙事，使得艰苦本身被赋予崇高的意义，不仅成为维系和提升战斗力的重要因素，而且以此形成了为完成祖国和人民赋予的使命、慷慨奉献自己一切的革命忠诚精神。

The "movement" of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is far from a simple military or logistical issue; it is a practical process integrating strategic wisdom, tactical innovation, collective spirit, and individual will. The difficulty of marching forged the strict military discipline and iron will of the volunteer soldiers; the danger of transportation stimulated creative wisdom and mutual friendship; the righteousness of the withdrawal demonstrated the vision of peace and international breadth; and the commemorative journeys in the New Era completed the sublimation and re-creation from individual memory to national empathy. Here, the revolutionary heroism spirit of bravery, tenacity, and willingness to sacrifice one's life is fully manifested.

抗美援朝之“行”远非单纯的军事、后勤问题，而是集战略智慧、战术创新、集体精神与个人意志于一体的实践过程。行军之难，铸就了志愿军将士的严明军纪与钢铁意志；运输之险，激发了创造智慧和互助情谊；撤军之义，彰显了和平愿景与国际胸怀；而新时代的纪念之行，则完成了从个体记忆向国家共情的升华与再创造。在此，英勇顽强、舍生忘死的革命英雄主义精神得以充分彰显。

Three Levels of Cultural Memory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

抗美援朝文化记忆的三个层面

The War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea not only has high academic research value but also has important spiritual inheritance value. The cultural memory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea mainly originates from the revolutionary practice of the true, arduous, and great struggle primarily represented by the volunteer soldiers. The inheritance of the memory of this history concerns the defense of historical truth, the continuation of the national spirit, and the consolidation of national identity. This memory can be divided into three levels: national memory, social memory, and individual memory, and can be carried out from aspects such as cognitive exploration, interpretive discourse, display and presentation, inheritance and development, exchange and mutual learning, and symbolic dissemination.

抗美援朝不仅具有高度的学术研究价值，而且具有重要的精神传承价值。抗美援朝的文化记忆主要源自对以志愿军将士为主要代表的真实、艰苦、伟大斗争的革命实践，对于该段历史的记忆传承，关乎历史真相的捍卫、民族精神的延续与国家认同的巩固。这种记忆可分为国家记忆、社会记忆、个人记忆三个层面，并从认知探索、阐释论述、展示呈现、传承发展、交流互鉴、符号传播等方面开展。

The national memory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is mainly the profound memory of the entire nation for the blood and sacrifices made by the volunteer soldiers, and the memory at the national level for the entire volunteer soldier group and the fallen martyrs, such as the Party and government's preferential treatment of volunteer soldiers, the burial and repatriation of martyrs, various commemorative activities, and memorial facilities. It is precisely because the state promotes the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea and guarantees the volunteer soldiers from all aspects that the study of the material life history of the volunteer soldiers can be more comparative, better reflecting the state's respect and esteem for heroes, and enabling the broad masses of the people to burst forth with great patriotic spirit. It is particularly noteworthy that General Secretary Xi Jinping further elucidated the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea as the national backbone, national strength, national blood, and national wisdom contained in the Chinese nation, thereby endowing the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea with full contemporary value and national character.

关于抗美援朝的国家记忆，主要是整个国家对于志愿军将士等所付出的鲜血和牺牲的深刻记忆，在国家层面对于整个志愿军群体与阵亡烈士的记忆，如党和政府对志愿军战士的优抚、对烈士的安葬与迎回、各种纪念活动和纪念设施等方面。正是国家从各个方面对抗美援朝精神的弘扬和对志愿军将士的保障，志愿军物质生活史的研究才得以更具对比性，更能体现国家对英雄的尊重与推崇，使广大民众迸发伟大的爱国主义精神。尤其值得注意的是，习近平总书记还进一步将抗美援朝精神阐发为中华民族所蕴藏的民族风骨、民族力量、民族血性、民族智慧，从而赋予抗美援朝精神充分的时代价值与民族品格。

Social memory, as an intermediary between national memory and individual memory, is mainly disseminated and reproduced through literary and artistic works, news media, public education, and other means. It focuses more on the emotional, narrative, and humanized processing of symbols in the national narrative, allowing individual memory and collective memory to organically integrate, triggering widespread resonance and emotional identification among the public, constructing the collective memory of contemporary people, and awakening the deep-seated sense of national and ethnic identity.

社会记忆作为国家记忆与个体记忆之间的中介，主要通过文艺作品、新闻媒体、公共教育等方式进行传播与再生产。它更侧重于将国家叙事中的符号进行情感化、故事化、人性化处理，让个体记忆与集体记忆有机融合，引发社会大众的广泛共鸣与情感认同，建构当代人的集体记忆，唤醒内心深处的国家与民族认同感。

Compared with national memory and social memory, individual memory represented by surviving veterans presents a richer appearance. Through memory retention methods such as tracing back, recollection, and remembrance, it is full of emotional tension and contradictory privacy, and is the most primitive repository of historical texture. Through these memories, one can profoundly feel the mental journey and emotional expression of the volunteer soldiers and the broad masses of the people, thereby complementing and mutually corroborating the national narrative and collective memory.

相较于国家记忆和社会记忆，以幸存老兵为代表的个体记忆呈现更为丰富的面貌。它通过追溯、回忆、怀念等记忆留存方式，充满了情感的张力与矛盾的私密性，是历史质感最原始的保存地。透过这些记忆能够深刻地感受到志愿军将士和广大民众的心路历程与情感发微，从而与国家叙事、集体记忆相互补充、互为印证。

From the perspective of cultural development, the spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is both an inheritance of the bloodline of the five-thousand-year Chinese civilization and a concentrated outbreak of national awakening since modern times; it carries the cultural genes of the era of revolutionary war and reflects the national spirit contained in the Chinese people. The great spirit of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea is a powerful driving force inspiring us to achieve the historical task of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

从文化发展脉络看，抗美援朝精神既是对五千多年中华文明血脉的传承，也是近代以来民族觉醒的集中爆发；既承载着革命战争时代的文化基因，又折射出中华儿女所蕴藏的民族精神。伟大抗美援朝精神，是激励我们实现中华民族伟大复兴历史任务的强大动力。

(The author is Vice Dean and Associate Professor of the School of History, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Deputy Director of the National Revolutionary Cultural Relics Collaborative Research Center of the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution—University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者系中国社会科学院大学历史学院副院长、副教授，中国人民革命军事博物馆—中国社会科学院大学国家革命文物协同研究中心副主任）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧