Revolutionary Music and Women’s Work in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region

The Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Democratic Base Area was the first anti-Japanese democratic base area established behind enemy lines under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, and was called by Mao Zedong “a model anti-Japanese base area behind enemy lines and a model zone for the united front.” During the nationwide War of Resistance, an important task of the Party’s leadership of women’s work was to propagandize and mobilize women to participate in the War of Resistance, “taking the mobilization of women’s strength to participate in the War of Resistance and striving for victory in the War of Resistance as the basic task” (Historical Materials on the Chinese Women’s Movement (1937–1945), China Women’s Publishing House, 1991, p. 1). Music was an important tool for the Party to carry out revolutionary propaganda and mobilization. As early as November 1923, the “Resolution on the Question of Education and Propaganda Work” adopted by the Party Central Committee mentioned that “every effort should be made to compile popular question-and-answer ballads and pamphlets” for revolutionary mobilization (Selected Important Documents Since the Founding of the Party (1921–1949), Vol. 1, Central Party Literature Press, 2011, p. 353). In the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region, our Party skillfully employed revolutionary music, enabling it to play an important role in such work as mobilizing women for the War of Resistance and their ideological emancipation.

晋察冀抗日民主根据地是中国共产党领导建立的第一个敌后抗日民主根据地，被毛泽东称为“敌后模范的抗日根据地及统一战线的模范区”。全民族抗战中，党领导妇女工作的一项重要任务是宣传动员妇女参加抗战，“以动员妇女力量参加抗战，争取抗战胜利为基本任务”（《中国妇女运动历史资料（1937—1945）》，中国妇女出版社1991年版，第1页）。音乐是党进行革命宣传动员的重要工具，早在1923年11月党中央通过的《教育宣传问题决议案》中就提到，“当尽力编著通俗的问答的歌谣的小册子”进行革命动员（《建党以来重要文献选编（1921—1949）》第一册，中央文献出版社2011年版，第353页）。在晋察冀边区，我们党巧妙运用革命音乐，使其在妇女抗战动员、思想解放等工作中发挥了重要作用。

Disseminating musical works to stimulate women’s consciousness of the War of Resistance

传播音乐作品，激发妇女抗战意识

In May 1939, the Central Committee of the CPC pointed out in its “Directive on Propaganda and Education Work”: “Attention should be paid to the popularization, massification, and nationalization of propaganda and agitation work, and every effort should be made to make all propaganda materials vivid and lively, with special attention to activities such as drama and singing” (Selected Documents on the Propaganda Work of the Chinese Communist Party (1937–1949), Learning Press, 1996, pp. 47–48). In order to effectively mobilize the women’s group for the War of Resistance, the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region creatively employed the vivid musical notes, popular lyrics, and concrete narratives of revolutionary music, effectively stimulating the War of Resistance consciousness of the vast numbers of women.

1939年5月，中共中央在《关于宣传教育工作的指示》指出：“应注意宣传鼓动工作的通俗化、大众化、民族化，力求各种宣传品的生动与活泼，特别注意于戏剧歌咏等的活动。”（《中国共产党宣传工作文献选编（1937—1949）》，学习出版社1996年版，第47~48页）为做好妇女群体的抗战动员，晋察冀边区创造性运用革命音乐的形象性音符、通俗性唱词、具体性叙事等作用，有力激发了广大妇女的抗战意识。

Before the nationwide War of Resistance, a small number of revolutionary songs were introduced and disseminated by intellectuals, becoming works of revolutionary ideological enlightenment relatively familiar to women’s groups. Border Region music workers were also adept at using revolutionary songs familiar to women for War of Resistance propaganda and education. A propaganda team from Li County, Hebei, performing in a village, “had a female comrade sing a song called ‘On the Songhua River,’ which was quite popular with the masses, drawing in many listeners like a magnet. The audience was silent, listening attentively, and after it was over they were still reluctant to leave” (Fu Duo, The Vicissitudes of Past Events, PLA Press, 1995, p. 55). In February 1944, at the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region Congress of Heroes and Models, Rong Guanqiu, who had served for six consecutive years as director of the Women’s National Salvation Association in Xiapansong Village, Pingshan County, was awarded the title “Model Supporter of the Army in the Beiyue Region – Mother of the Soldiers.” Literary and art workers specially created a reportage drama, Rong Guanqiu, performed in language familiar to the broad masses, effectively stimulating the War of Resistance consciousness of the vast numbers of women in the Border Region. “When a thirty-year-old woman performed ‘Blood and Tears of Vengeance,’ there was not a single person in the audience who did not cry. In Nanqi Village, Ding County, there was a sixty-year-old grandmother who acted, and she performed very well. They also created a new form of ‘street drama,’ ‘Model Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law,’ which was performed on the streets on Women’s Day and was well received by women” (Historical Materials on the Women’s Anti-Japanese Struggle in the Beiyue Region of Jin-Cha-Ji, China Women’s Publishing House, 1989, p. 755). Through musical works, the women of the Border Region deeply understood the CPC’s stance on the War of Resistance, better stimulating the awakening of their War of Resistance consciousness. A large number of revolutionary songs widely sung in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region, such as “Song of Seeing Off a Husband to Join the Army,” “Li Yulan Persuades Her Husband to Join the Army,” “Mother Lets Me Join the Army,” and “Seeing Off a Husband to the Front,” took “seeing off” as their theme, greatly arousing the emotional resonance of the women masses, and used vivid notes and popular lyrics to display the patriotic feelings of the vast numbers of women.

全民族抗战前，少数革命歌曲经知识分子引入和传播，成为妇女群体较为熟悉的革命思想启蒙作品。边区音乐工作者也善于利用妇女比较熟悉的革命歌曲进行抗战宣传教育，河北蠡县的一个宣传小组到农村演出，“有一位女同志唱了一支歌子，歌名叫《松花江上》，颇受群众欢迎，像吸铁石一样吸来不少听众，台下鸦雀无声，洗耳静听，而且听完之后还恋恋不舍，不愿离去”（傅铎：《往事沧桑》，解放军出版社1995年版，第55页）。1944年2月，晋察冀边区群英大会上，连续6年担任平山县下盘松村妇救会主任的戎冠球被授予“北岳区拥军模范——子弟兵的母亲”称号。文艺工作者专门创作了报道剧《戎冠球》，用广大民众熟悉的语言进行表演，有效激发了边区广大妇女的抗战意识。“三十岁的妇女演出《血泪仇》，群众看后没一个不哭的。定县南齐村有六十多岁的老太太当演员，并且演得很好。还创作了新形式的‘街头剧’《模范婆婆和媳妇》，‘三八’节时在街头演出受到妇女的拥护”（《晋察冀北岳区妇女抗日斗争史料》，中国妇女出版社1989年版，第755页）。边区妇女在音乐作品中深刻认识到中国共产党的抗战主张，更好地激发了其抗战意识的觉醒。晋察冀边区广为传唱的《送郎参军歌》《李玉兰劝夫参军》《妈妈让我当兵去》《送郎上前线》等大量革命歌曲，以“送”为主题，极大地引发妇女群众情感共鸣，并用生动的音符、通俗的歌词展现了广大妇女的家国情怀。

Winter schools were an important measure for the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region to stimulate women’s War of Resistance consciousness. In February 1940, the “Work Program of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region Music Association” issued by the Border Region Music Association emphasized: “Strengthen the realization and massification of musical works, use all efforts to bring culture deep into the people, and make the music movement a movement of the broad masses” (Resistance News, February 18, 1940). Following the spirit of the Music Association’s work program, Border Region music workers used everyday language to compose winter school musical works, encouraging the masses to participate in learning. On January 28, 1941, the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily published the folk song “Going to Winter School”: “Going to winter school, going to winter school, learning characters is to fight the Japanese; going to winter school, going to winter school, reading books is to seek liberation.” In addition, the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily also published folk songs reflecting the exemplary deeds of women in winter schools. On December 2, 1941, the Jin-Cha-Ji Daily published the revolutionary folk song “We Must Learn from Aunt Zhang”: “We must learn from Aunt Zhang, the most enthusiastic winter school student is her,” depicting Aunt Zhang not giving up attending school due to minor illness, young children, or old age, calling on the vast numbers of women to learn from her, to receive cultural education and enhance their War of Resistance capabilities through winter schools.

冬学是晋察冀边区激发妇女抗战意识的重要举措。1940年2月，晋察冀边区“音协”发布的《晋察冀边区音协工作纲领》强调：“加强音乐作品的现实化和大众化，用全力将文化深入到民间去，使音乐运动成为广大群众的运动。”（《抗敌报》，1940年2月18日）边区音乐工作者根据“音协”工作纲领精神，用生活化语言编创冬学音乐作品，鼓励民众参加学习。1941年1月28日的《晋察冀日报》就刊载了民谣《上冬学》，“上冬学、上冬学，识字是为打东洋，上冬学、上冬学，读书是为求解放”。此外，《晋察冀日报》还刊载反映妇女冬学模范事迹的歌谣。1941年12月2日，《晋察冀日报》刊载了革命歌谣《我们要学张大妈》，“我们要学张大妈，热心冬学数着她”，通过描写张大妈不因生小病、孩子小、年纪大等原因放弃上学，号召广大妇女向其学习，通过冬学接受文化教育、增强抗战本领。

Mobilizing and organizing women’s self-defense corps to strengthen the Border Region’s War of Resistance forces

动员组建妇女自卫队，增强边区抗战力量

Music became an effective medium for inspiring women to participate in the War of Resistance. By June 1940, the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region had developed 270,000 women’s mass armed forces, becoming an important armed force for the War of Resistance in the Border Region. “The women of Jin-Cha-Ji not only read and write, serve as village representatives and village heads, but also, like men, can stand guard, check passersby, arrest traitors, and even cooperate in combat” (Li Gongpu, Behind Enemy Lines in North China – Jin-Cha-Ji, SDX Joint Publishing Company, 1979, p. 131).

音乐成为激发妇女参加抗日的有效媒介，1940年6月，晋察冀边区已发展27万妇女群众武装，成为边区一支重要的抗战武装力量。“晋察冀的妇女不但要读书识字，作村民代表当村长,而且和男人一样的能够站岗放哨，盘查行人，捉拿汉奸，甚至配合战斗”（李公朴：《华北敌后——晋察冀》，生活·读书·新知三联书店1979年版，第131页）。

A folk song reflecting Border Region women standing guard, “Defend the Border Region and Protect Our Hometown,” was sung in Fuping: “Elder Sister Li, Second Aunt Zhang, let’s go stand guard at the village entrance; you take a sickle, I’ll take a red-tasseled spear, don’t let traitors into our village, defend the Border Region and protect our hometown.” The folk song vividly displayed the image of women defending their homes and country with popular, everyday lyrics. In 1940, Border Region literary and art worker Shen Yan used traditional folk ditties and minor operas to create revolutionary songs such as “The Couple” and “Couple’s Antiphonal Singing.” The dissemination and mobilization of these musical works were very appealing; many women voluntarily joined the Border Region’s armed forces. “Yesterday, the women of North China were still shy and timid ‘country bumpkins’; today, some among them have become brave and loyal soldiers. ‘The women here all participate in combat and throw hand grenades.’ This is a record from the diary of an enemy soldier captured near Pingxingguan last year. By this year, the scope of women’s activities has become even broader” (Zhou Libo, Impressions of the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region, SDX Joint Publishing Company, 2012, p. 99). “Sisters Go to the Battlefield,” an antiphonal singing folk song, is a representative musical work of Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region women participating in the War of Resistance. As the lyrics say, “Sister, you go to the battlefield, don’t panic at all; Sister, you go to the front line, bravely kill the enemy,” the folk song is sincere in feeling, easy to learn and sing, and inspired women’s fighting spirit in the War of Resistance.

阜平传唱着一首反映边区妇女站岗放哨的歌谣《保卫边区保家乡》，“李大嫂、二大娘，咱俩村头去站岗；你拿一把镰刀，俺拿一杆红缨枪，不让汉奸进咱庄，保卫边区保家乡”。歌谣用通俗易懂的生活化歌词生动展现了妇女保家卫国的形象。1940年晋察冀边区文艺工作者沈雁利用传统民间小调剧编创了《夫妇俩》《夫妇对唱》等革命歌曲。这些音乐作品的传播和动员很有号召力，许多妇女自愿加入边区武装队伍中，“在昨天，华北的妇女还是含羞胆怯的‘土包子’，到今天，她们中间有的人，已经成了骁勇坚忠的战士。‘这里的妇女都参加作战，投掷手榴弹。’这是去年在平型关附近缴获的一个敌兵日记的记载。到今年，妇女们的活动范围更广泛了”（周立波：《晋察冀边区印象记》，生活·读书·新知三联书店2012年版，第99页）。《姐妹上战场》这首对唱歌谣是晋察冀边区妇女参加抗战的音乐代表作，正如歌词“姐妹你上战场，千万你莫要发慌，姐妹你前线去，奋勇你要杀敌”，歌谣情真意切，易学易唱，激发了妇女抗战斗志。

The women’s self-defense corps were a representative force of Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region women in the War of Resistance. “The women’s self-defense corps of Pingshan not only drilled in marching steps, turns, kneeling, lying down, shooting, and throwing hand grenades just like men, but could even conduct air defense drills as neatly as the regular army” (Behind Enemy Lines in North China – Jin-Cha-Ji, p. 131). Under the Party’s leadership, the women’s self-defense corps participated in road-breaking movements to destroy enemy communication lines. Border Region songs such as “Song of Destroying Communications” and “Road Breaking, No Distinction Between Men and Women” not only vividly recorded with musical notes the scenes of women struggling together with men, but also shaped and disseminated the image of the Border Region women’s self-defense corps participating in the War of Resistance with popular, easy-to-sing melodies. Border Region women not only actively joined the women’s self-defense corps, but also made full use of revolutionary music to propagate the War of Resistance. “The general women’s self-defense corps of Jin-Cha-Ji not only could answer political questions as well as the men’s self-defense corps, but also had an achievement that the men’s self-defense corps probably could never catch up with, and that was singing. On average, each women’s self-defense corps member could sing more than fifteen national salvation songs or anti-Japanese ditties” (Behind Enemy Lines in North China – Jin-Cha-Ji, pp. 131–132).

妇女自卫队是晋察冀边区妇女抗战的代表力量。“平山的妇女自卫队不但和男子一样的操练步法、转法、跪倒、卧倒、射击、投掷手榴弹，甚至能够和部队一样整齐的进行防空演习”（《华北敌后——晋察冀》，第131页）。在党的领导下，妇女自卫队参加破路运动以破坏敌寇交通线，边区歌曲《破坏交通歌》《破路不分男和女》等不仅用音符生动记载了妇女和男子一起参加斗争的生动场景，而且用通俗易唱的曲调塑造并传播了边区妇女自卫队参加抗战的形象。边区妇女不但积极参加妇女自卫队，而且还充分利用革命音乐来宣传抗日，“晋察冀一般的妇女自卫队，她们不但和男自卫队一样的能够回答政治问题，还有着男自卫队恐怕是永远赶不上的成绩，就是唱歌。平均每一个妇女自卫队队员能唱十五支以上的救亡歌曲或是抗日小调”（《华北敌后——晋察冀》，第131~132页）。

Disseminating progressive consciousness to promote women’s ideological emancipation

传播进步意识，促进妇女思想解放

Revolutionary music in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region not only played an important role in the women’s anti-Japanese struggle in the border region, but also made a historical contribution to social change in the border region, especially in advancing the process of women’s ideological emancipation there.

晋察冀边区的革命音乐不仅在边区妇女抗战斗争中发挥了重要作用，而且在边区社会变革，尤其是推进边区妇女思想解放进程中也作出了历史贡献。

In the work of mobilizing revolutionary music in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region, many representative model figures emerged; among them, the growth process of Liu Yaomei is quite instructive. Liu Yaomei was from Luoyu Village, Fuping County. At the age of 16 she actively participated in the anti-Japanese struggle. She loved singing; the first song she learned was “The Internationale,” which ignited the revolutionary spark in her heart. At 18 she joined the Chinese Communist Party and became director of the village Women’s National Salvation Association.[1]1 The Women’s National Salvation Association (妇救会) was a mass organization led by the Chinese Communist Party during the War of Resistance Against Japan, mobilizing women to support the war effort and participate in social reform. She was skilled at using revolutionary songs to publicize the Party’s women’s work policies and explain the significance of women’s emancipation. Owing to long-standing feudal ideological constraints, some women refused to cut their hair or unbind their feet. “Liu Yaomei explained to them the bright future of women’s emancipation, and also personally copied out the ‘Song of Women’s Emancipation’ to teach the women to sing: ‘Today’s women cut their hair, / It saves combing and saves scraping, / No messy hair; / Today’s women unbind their feet, / They can walk and they can run, / See how wonderful it is’” (Wen Si, *A Dagger Piercing the Enemy’s Heart: The Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Base Area*, China Literature and History Press, 2005, pp. 254–255). It was precisely through the propaganda and leadership of revolutionary songs such as the “Song of Women’s Emancipation” that the ideological understanding of women in the border region quietly progressed.

在晋察冀边区革命音乐动员工作中，涌现出许多具有代表性的模范人物，其中，刘耀梅的成长历程颇具启示性。刘耀梅是阜平县罗峪村人，16岁时就积极参加抗战活动。她酷爱唱歌，学的第一支歌是《国际歌》，由此点燃了心中的革命火种，18岁时加入中国共产党，成为村妇救会主任。她善于利用革命歌谣宣传党的妇女工作政策、讲解妇女解放意义。由于长期的封建思想束缚，一些妇女不肯剪发和放脚。“刘耀梅就给她们讲妇女解放的光明前途，还亲自抄写《妇女解放歌》教妇女们唱：‘如今的妇女兴剪发，又省梳来又省刮，没有乱头发；如今的妇女兴撒脚，又能走来又能跑，你看多么好’”（文思：《尖刀插入敌人心脏——晋察冀抗日根据地》，中国文史出版社2005年版，第254~255页）。正是在《妇女解放歌》等革命歌曲的宣传带动下，边区妇女群众的思想认识悄然进步。

The Party implemented social change measures in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region covering many aspects, including production, marriage, culture and education. The continuous emancipation of women gradually promoted the awakening of their subjective consciousness; in this respect, revolutionary music also played an important function. With regard to revolutionary music, many women in the border region underwent a transformation in identity from “onlookers” to “participants” and then to “creators”; music gradually became an indispensable part of women’s spiritual and cultural life. “Singing had already become part of the daily life of the masses in Jin-Cha-Ji. I can say this: in Jin-Cha-Ji, there are very few men, women, old or young who cannot sing songs. National salvation songs and anti-Japanese ditties had already replaced all the decadent phrases and vulgar ditties that people used to sing in their leisure time or while working” (*Behind Enemy Lines in North China: Jin-Cha-Ji*, p. 155). Social change in the border region meant that music creation was no longer the exclusive “patent” of music workers; women gradually became an important force in music creation. The village troupe of Gangnan Village, Pingxi County, rehearsed progressive plays to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The director was the district Women’s National Salvation Association director who lived in the village; the main performers were five or six women from the village troupe. “The play was about a stubborn mother-in-law who, at first ignorant of the times, would not let her daughter or daughter-in-law join the Women’s National Salvation Association or participate in any village activities. The daughter and daughter-in-law joined secretly, were eventually discovered, and there was a great uproar. The villagers tried to persuade her, the district officials tried to convince her, but the mother-in-law repeatedly refused, raising many objections. After everyone’s persuasion, and seeing the progress of events, the whole village advancing, everyone doing the same, she no longer insisted. Not only did she let her daughter-in-law participate, but she herself also became an activist in the Women’s National Salvation Association” (Zhou Erfu, *Travels in the Liberated Area of Jin-Cha-Ji*, China Youth Publishing House, 2012, p. 105). Although these women had a low level of education, because they were performing true stories from their own lives, their performances were very natural and achieved good results in dissemination and education.

党在晋察冀边区实行包括生产、婚姻、文教等诸多方面的社会变革举措，妇女的不断解放也逐步促进其主体意识觉醒，在这一方面，革命音乐也发挥了重要功能。对于革命音乐，众多边区妇女实现了从“围观者”到“参与者”，再到“创作者”的身份嬗变，音乐逐渐成为边区妇女精神文化生活不可或缺的部分。“歌咏已经形成了晋察冀人民大众的日常生活。我可以这样说，晋察冀不管男女老幼中，很少不会唱歌子的。救亡歌曲和抗日小调已代替了过去人们消闲，或工作中间口头所唱的一切腐词滥调”（《华北敌后——晋察冀》，第155页）。边区的社会变革使音乐创作不再只是音乐工作者的“专利”，妇女逐步成为一支重要的音乐创作力量。平西县岗南村村剧团为迎庆中秋编排进步戏剧，导演是住在本村的区妇救会主任，主要演员是村剧团的五六位妇女，“戏是写一个顽固婆婆，开初不明世事，不让女儿媳妇参加妇救会和一切村中活动，女儿媳妇偷偷参加，终被发现，于是大叫大闹，村中人劝解，区里人说服，婆婆再三不肯，提出许多理由，经过大家劝说，又见事实进展，全村进步，个个如是，她也不坚持，不仅让儿媳参加，而且自己也成为妇救会积极分子之一了”（周而复：《解放区晋察冀行》，中国青年出版社2012年版，第105页）。虽然这些妇女文化水平不高，但由于演的是身边的真实故事，因而演出时非常自然，取得了较好的传播教育效果。

To effectively expand the propaganda effect of musical art among women, the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region also established specialized women’s troupes. “In Ding County’s First District, under the leadership of the Women’s National Salvation Association, women’s troupes were established in five villages: Shenbei, Nanshenfu, Beishenfu, Nanqingxing, and Beiqingxing” (*Compilation of Historical Materials on the Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese Base Area*, Vol. 1, Hebei People’s Publishing House, 2015, p. 820). Under the professional guidance of the border region’s professional art troupes and village troupes, women’s musical artistic abilities gradually improved. “They also organized national salvation clubs. The clubs had various entertainment organizations and appointed cultural and entertainment officers specifically to lead singing and keep time. If someone came from outside the border region, they would never believe that the person leading the singing and keeping time was a working woman who had never been to school, still less would they believe that these songs came from the throats of peasants who had never received musical notation training” (*Historical Materials on the Women’s Anti-Japanese Struggle in the Beiyue Area of Jin-Cha-Ji*, p. 756). The women’s emancipation policies implemented by the Party in the Jin-Cha-Ji Border Region powerfully stimulated women’s subjective consciousness, prompting them to actively participate in revolutionary music creation. Some representative songs were widely sung, raising the revolutionary consciousness of the broad masses of women and inspiring them to play an important role in the anti-Japanese war.

为有效扩大音乐艺术在妇女中的宣传效果，晋察冀边区还组建了专门的妇女剧团，“定县一区在妇救会领导下，成立了神北，南、北神甫，南、北清醒5个村的妇女剧团”（《晋察冀抗日根据地史料汇编》上，河北人民出版社2015年版，第820页）。在边区艺术专业剧团及村剧团业务指导下，妇女们的音乐艺术能力逐步提升。“她们还组织了救亡俱乐部，俱乐部中有各种娱乐组织，设有文化娱乐干事，专门领导唱歌打拍子。如果是从边区外面来的人，谁也不会相信指挥唱歌打拍子的竟是没有上过学的劳动妇女，更不会相信，这歌声是出自没有受过识谱训练的庄稼人的歌喉”（《晋察冀北岳区妇女抗日斗争史料》，第756页）。党在晋察冀边区推行的妇女解放政策，有力激发了妇女群体的主体意识，促使她们积极参与革命音乐创作，其中一些代表性歌曲被广为传唱，提高了广大妇女革命意识，激励她们在抗战中发挥了重要作用。

(Author: Wang Tiezhu, Associate Professor, School of Marxism, Tianjin Conservatory of Music)

（作者：王铁柱，系天津音乐学院马克思主义学院副教授）