Let Ideological and Political Elements “Come Alive” in Theatrical Performances

The theatrical gala *Justice Will Prevail*, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, is a brilliant performance interweaving history, art, and emotion. *Justice Will Prevail* uses multi-group participation to display the immense power of the people’s war led by the Party, employs multi-dimensional narration to highlight China’s historical contribution as the Eastern main battlefield, and utilizes multi-voice resonance to sing the harmonious movement of a community with a shared future for mankind. It vividly interprets the essential requirements of the “grand ideological and political course” — inspiring people with the power of truth, moving people with profound sentiment, and uniting people with vivid practice — providing a fresh model for the reform and development of ideological and political education in the New Era.

中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年文艺晚会《正义必胜》，是一场历史、艺术、情感交织融合的精彩演出。《正义必胜》以多群体参与展现了党领导人民战争的磅礴力量，以多维度叙事彰显了中国东方主战场的历史贡献，以多声部共鸣唱响了人类命运共同体的和合乐章，生动诠释了“大思政课”用真理的力量感召人、用深厚的情怀打动人、用鲜活的实践凝聚人的本质要求，为新时代思政教育改革与发展提供了鲜活样本。

From “Spiritual Code” to “Call of the Times”: A “Nutrient” for Contemporary Chinese Youth to Cultivate Historical Confidence

从“精神密码”到“时代强音”：当代中国青年厚植历史自信的“营养剂”

Literature and art are the torch of the spirit. The performances in the *Justice Will Prevail* gala closely adhere to the theme of “remembering history, honoring martyrs, cherishing peace, and creating the future,” constructing a spiritual blueprint from history to reality, from the individual to the collective, and from the nation to the world through the unique tension of artistic language.

文艺，是精神的火炬。《正义必胜》文艺晚会中的表演紧扣“铭记历史、缅怀先烈、珍爱和平、开创未来”主题，通过艺术语言的独特张力构建起从历史到现实、从个体到集体、从民族到世界的精神图谱。

Constructing Collective Memory within Historical Depth. The best way to inherit history is to create new history on the basis of carrying forward the past; the best way to console revolutionary forebears is to advance the great cause for which they sacrificed and struggled. To better create history and advance the great cause, it is necessary to construct and safeguard the collective memory of a nation and a people through various pathways. As the first national liberation war in which China achieved complete victory against foreign invasion since modern times, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression not only ended a century of humiliation through the tempering of blood and fire, but also accumulated a patriotic sentiment of “everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the nation,” [1]1 A classical Chinese idiom from the Qing dynasty scholar Gu Yanwu, expressing the idea that every individual bears responsibility for the fate of their country. a national integrity of facing death unflinchingly and preferring death to surrender, a heroic spirit of defying brute force and fighting to the bitter end, and an indomitable and unyielding conviction of certain victory. Inheriting and promoting the great spirit of the War of Resistance is a key link in forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, and also an important “nutrient” for helping contemporary Chinese youth cultivate historical confidence. The performance simulates the ups and downs of history through changes in melody. When familiar melodies overlap with historical scenes in the mind, the theatrical performance becomes a bridge connecting history and reality, a bond constructing collective memory. By appreciating the music and immersing themselves in the performance, youth engage in a cross-generational practice of collective memory, thereby remembering the past in the melody, and also building national memory and undertaking historical mission in resonance.

构建历史纵深中的集体记忆。对历史最好的继承就是在接续前行的基础上创造新的历史，对革命先辈最好的告慰就是把他们为之牺牲、为之奋斗的伟大事业推向前进，而要更好地创造历史和推进伟大事业，就必然需要通过各种路径构建起并守护好一个国家一个民族的集体记忆。作为中国近代以来反抗外敌入侵第一次取得完全胜利的民族解放战争，抗日战争不仅以血与火的淬炼终结了百年屈辱，更积淀着天下兴亡、匹夫有责的爱国情怀，视死如归、宁死不屈的民族气节，不畏强暴、血战到底的英雄气概和百折不挠、坚忍不拔的必胜信念。继承和弘扬伟大抗战精神是铸牢中华民族共同体意识的关键环节，也是帮助当代中国青年厚植历史自信的重要“营养剂”。演出通过旋律的变化模拟历史的跌宕起伏，当熟悉的旋律与历史场景在脑海中重叠，文艺演出便成为连接历史与现实的桥梁，成为构建集体记忆的纽带。青年通过欣赏曲目、沉浸于表演之中，进行了一场跨代的集体记忆实践，从而在旋律中铭记过往，也在共鸣中实现了民族记忆的搭建和历史使命的承接。

Manifesting Cultural Confidence Amidst the Clash of Ideas. For a nation and a country, confidence in one’s culture is a more fundamental, broader, and deeper confidence; it is a more basic, deeper, and more enduring force. The theatrical performance both preserves the spiritual core of the red classics from the War of Resistance period and uses contemporary artistic forms to interpret them, making them radiate the brilliance of the times. When youth learn the creative background of red classics during rehearsals, feel the unique charm of national art during joint practice, and witness the harmonious coexistence of different cultural elements on stage, they can see both the historical weight of revolutionary culture and the vibrant vitality of national culture. This makes the performance, to a certain extent, a “phonograph” and “amplifier” for fine traditional Chinese culture.

彰显思想激荡中的文化自信。对一个民族和国家来讲，文化自信是更基础、更广泛、更深厚的自信,是更基本、更深沉、更持久的力量。文艺演出既保留抗战时期红色经典的精神内核，又用当代艺术形式演绎红色经典，使其焕发时代光彩。当青年在排演中学习红色经典的创作背景，在合练中感受民族艺术的独特韵味，在舞台呈现中见证不同文化元素的和谐共生时，他们既能看到革命文化的历史厚重，也能体会到民族文化的鲜活生命力，这就让演出在一定程度上成为中华优秀传统文化的“留声机”与“扩音器”。

Clarifying the Era’s Responsibility of Contemporary Youth. Youth are the most sensitive barometer of the times; the responsibility of the times is entrusted to youth, and the glory of the times belongs to youth. Today, we are closer to, more confident in, and more capable of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history, requiring youth to exert their strength to a greater extent and more proactively. On the stage of the gala, actors use their voices as brushes and emotions as ink, vividly portraying the iron will of passionate youth during the War of Resistance to resist the invaders to the end. They use youthful discourse to vividly interpret the magnificent scene where, at the moment of national crisis and peril, the younger generation closely linked their individual lifeblood with the destiny of the nation. Youth in the New Era are born in a prosperous age with heavy responsibilities; the stage for displaying their talents is unprecedentedly broad, and the prospects for realizing their life ideals are unprecedentedly bright. Therefore, the vast majority of youth must inherit the great spirit of the War of Resistance, fully exert the mission consciousness of “a strong nation depends on me,” [2]2 A popular slogan among Chinese youth, derived from the phrase “请党放心，强国有我” (Rest assured, Party; a strong nation depends on me), often used to express commitment to national rejuvenation. and continue to strive for advancing the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation.

明确新时代青年的时代担当。青年是标志时代最灵敏的晴雨表，时代的责任赋予青年，时代的荣光属于青年。今天，我们比历史上任何时期都更接近、更有信心和能力实现中华民族伟大复兴，需要青年把更大限度、更为主动的力量发挥出来。文艺晚会舞台上，演员以声为笔、以情为墨，生动展现了抗日战争时期的热血青年对侵略者抵抗到底的钢铁意志。他们用青春话语生动演绎了在国家危难、民族危亡关头，青年一代将个体生命热血与民族命运紧密相连的壮阔画面。新时代的青年生逢盛世、重任在肩，施展才华的舞台无比宽广，实现人生理想的前景无比光明。因此，广大青年更要传承伟大抗战精神，充分发挥“强国有我”的使命自觉，为推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业接续奋斗。

From “Single Performance” to “Long-Term Classroom”: Making Good Use of the Vivid “Grand Ideological and Political Course” Textbook of Art

从“单场展演”到“长效课堂”：用好艺术这堂生动的“大思政课”教材

To truly make ideological and political elements “come alive,” “become substantial,” and “grow strong” in theatrical performances, injecting strong momentum into cultivating new generations capable of shouldering the task of national rejuvenation, it is necessary to sublimate the experience accumulated in performances into a normalized and long-lasting educational mechanism.

让思政元素在文艺演出中真正“活”起来、“实”起来、“强”起来，为培养堪当民族复兴重任的时代新人注入强劲动力，必须将文艺演出中积累的经验升华为常态化、长效化的育人机制。

Adhere to the Combination of “Historical Depth” and “Real-World Warmth” to Create an “Immersive” Ideological and Political Classroom. The key to realizing the functional leap of theatrical performances from artistic exhibition to ideological and political education lies in achieving a two-way connection between historical memory and real-world experience. On the one hand, deeply excavate “historical depth.” History is the reality of the past, and reality is the history of the future. Core elements such as the spiritual legacy of the victory of the War of Resistance and the world significance of the anti-fascist war should be systematically sorted and narratively designed, uncovering the dynamic facts behind static historical archives, so that the vast majority of youth can clarify the historical context of the War of Resistance from factual representation and comprehend the deep core of the great spirit of the War of Resistance. On the other hand, inject “real-world warmth.” Changes in the environment and human activity or self-change have an inherent consistency. [3]3 A reference to a passage from Karl Marx’s *Theses on Feuerbach*, emphasizing the dialectical relationship between environmental change and human activity. Creating an “immersive” ideological and political classroom must not only be faithful to historical facts but also pay attention to the cognitive characteristics of contemporary youth. Closely combine with real-life fields, place the performance in spaces where history and reality intersect, such as revolutionary sites and War of Resistance memorial halls, shaping youth’s historical emotions through the environment; at the same time, it can also be combined with contemporary practices such as rural revitalization and technological self-reliance, using an “integrated” rather than “patchwork” form to bridge the “last mile” between historical memory and real-world experience.

坚持“历史厚度”与“现实温度”的结合，打造“沉浸式”思政课堂。实现文艺演出从艺术展演到思政教育的功能跃升，关键在于实现历史记忆与现实体验的双向贯通。一方面，深挖“历史厚度”。历史是过去的现实，现实是未来的历史，要将抗战胜利的精神传承、反法西斯战争的世界意义等核心元素进行系统性梳理、叙事性设计，发掘静态的历史档案背后的动态事实，使广大青年从事实再现中厘清抗日战争的历史脉络、体悟伟大抗战精神的深层内核。另一方面，注入“现实温度”。环境的改变和人的活动或自我改变具有内在一致性，打造“沉浸式”思政课堂既要忠于史实，也必须关注新时代青年的认知特点。紧密结合现实的生活场域，将演出置于革命旧址、抗战纪念馆等历史与现实交汇的空间，通过环境塑造青年的历史情感；同时，也可结合乡村振兴、科技自强等当代实践，以“融合”而非“拼盘”形式打通历史记忆与现实体验的“最后一公里”。

Adhere to the Combination of “Professional Guidance” and “Mass Participation” to Build a Multi-Subject Education Pattern. The core essence of the internal integration of the “grand ideological and political course” and theatrical performances lies in breaking through classroom boundaries and forming a vivid situation of collaborative education across the whole society. On the one hand, highlight “professional guidance.” A performance without professional guidance is a “noisy clamor lacking depth”; the synergistic role of literary and artistic workers, ideological and political course teachers, and others must be fully utilized. Literature and art grasp and reproduce vivid social life according to the rules of beauty; literary and artistic workers should ensure the ideological depth and aesthetic height of artistic works, focusing on the integration of artistic laws and educational laws. The ideological and political course is the soul project for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education; [4]4 “Fostering virtue through education” (立德树人) is a key principle in Chinese educational policy, emphasizing moral cultivation as the foundation of talent development. ideological and political teachers need to focus on value guidance, organically linking and deeply integrating ideological and political elements with theatrical performances, achieving benign interaction and two-way stimulation between artistic expression and theoretical explanation. On the other hand, strengthen “mass participation.” A performance without mass participation is a “display that has lost its life”; therefore, the traditional model of professional actors performing and ordinary audiences watching should be broken. Use a “topic crowdsourcing” mechanism to allow young students to participate fully from topic planning, performance arrangement to stage presentation; use “segmented, modular” creation methods to lower the threshold for participation, allowing community residents, industry representatives, and other groups to join the performance team; at the same time, actively explore new models and practices such as “on-site interaction,” promoting ideological and political education from “professional monopoly” to building a multi-subject education pattern, truly realizing the grand pattern of the “grand ideological and political course.”

坚持“专业引领”与“大众参与”的结合，构建多主体育人格局。“大思政课”与文艺演出内在结合的核心要义，在于突破课堂边界，形成全社会协同育人的生动局面。一方面，突出“专业引领”。没有专业引领的演出是一场“缺乏深度的喧嚣”，必须充分发挥文艺工作者、思政课教师等多方面协同作用。文艺是按照美的规则把握和再现生动的社会生活，文艺工作者应确保艺术作品的思想深度与审美高度，聚焦艺术规律与教育规律的融合；思政课是落实立德树人根本任务的灵魂工程，思政教师需注重价值引导，将思政元素与文艺演出有机衔接、深度融合，实现艺术表达与理论阐释的良性互动、双向激发。另一方面，要强化“大众参与”。没有大众参与的演出是一场“失去生命的展示”，因此应打破专业演员演、普通群众看的传统模式，以“选题众筹”机制让青年学生从选题策划、演出编排到舞台呈现全程参与，以“分段化、模块化”创作办法降低参与门槛，让社区群众、行业代表等不同群体加入演出队伍，同时积极探索“现场互动”等新模式和新做法，推动思政教育从“专业包办”转向构建多主体育人格局，真正实现“大思政课”的大格局。

Adhere to the combination of “emotional resonance” and “value guidance,” and perfect the “full-chain” evaluation system. The ideological and political lesson that is an artistic performance, moving from “entering the ear” to “entering the heart,” must ultimately be grounded in the formation of value identification and the realization of behavioral transformation. On the one hand, we should persistently make good use of “emotional resonance.” Abandon stereotyped and rigid expressions, achieve an organic integration of the “grand narrative” and “stories around us” in the content of artistic performances, use the most persuasive and relatable true stories to move young people, and transform dry propaganda and education into emotional impact and ideological agitation from those around them. On the other hand, we should consistently implement “value guidance.” The shaping of young people’s values requires not only the infiltration and influence of the external environment but also the conscious deepening of positive guidance. We should highlight the unique advantage of artistic performances in “educating through performance,” attract young people with warm artistic works, inspire young people with positive value orientation, and promote young people’s active identification and internal reflection. At the same time, attention should be paid to perfecting the “process evaluation” of value formation, the “effectiveness evaluation” of behavioral transformation, and the “subject evaluation” of collaborative participation. By constructing a full-chain evaluation system, artistic performances can be transformed from a single “art exhibition” into a long-term “education project,” truly realizing the educational aim of cultivating people through culture and establishing virtue through education.

坚持“情感共鸣”与“价值引领”的结合，完善“全链条”评价体系。文艺演出这堂由“入耳”到“入心”的思政课，最终必须落脚于价值认同的形成与行为转化的实现。一方面，应持之以恒善用“情感共鸣”。摒弃千篇一律的僵化表达，实现文艺演出内容“宏大叙事”与“身边故事”的有机融合，用最具说服力与亲和力的真实故事感染青年，把枯燥的宣讲教育转化为身边人的情感冲击和思想激荡。另一方面，应一以贯之落实“价值引领”。青年价值观的塑造既需要外部环境的熏陶浸润，更需正向引导的自觉深化。应突出文艺演出“寓教于演”的独特优势，用温暖的文艺作品吸引青年，用积极的价值导向感召青年，推动青年主动认同、内在反思。同时，应当注重完善对价值形成的“过程性评价”、行为转化的“成效性评价”以及协同参与的“主体性评价”，通过构建全链条评价体系，将文艺演出从单场“艺术展演”转化为长效“育人工程”，真正实现以文化人、立德树人的教育旨归。

(Authors: Ren Yanhong, Wu Runfeng, respectively Professor at the School of Marxism, Southwest University; Doctoral Candidate)

（作者：任燕红、吴润丰，分别系西南大学马克思主义学院教授；博士研究生）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧