The Spiritual Connotation of Anti-Japanese War Music and Its Inheritance in the New Era

In the historical process of the Chinese nation’s resistance against the Japanese aggressors, anti-Japanese war music, with its unique artistic form, became the core carrier of the national spirit. As an art form born against the backdrop of national peril, anti-Japanese war music not only undertook the social function of awakening popular consciousness and rallying the will to resist, but also, by virtue of its distinctive artistic features, occupied an important position in modern Chinese music history and the genealogy of the national spirit. Entering the New Era, the historical value of anti-Japanese war music has not dissipated with the passage of time; the spirit of patriotism, collectivist sentiment, and will to resist it contains deeply aligns with the strategic needs of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the contemporary era, providing sustained spiritual momentum for social development. Therefore, systematically sorting out the artistic characteristics of anti-Japanese war music and analyzing its spiritual core and its value connection with the New Era holds significant academic meaning and practical value for the inheritance of red culture and the consolidation of the national spirit.

在中华民族抵御日本侵略者的历史进程中，抗战音乐以独特的艺术形态成为民族精神的核心载体。作为诞生于民族危亡背景下的艺术形式，抗战音乐不仅承担着唤醒民众意识、凝聚抗战斗志的社会功能，更凭借鲜明的艺术特色在近代中国音乐史与民族精神谱系中占据重要地位。进入新时代，抗战音乐的历史价值并未随时间的推移而消解，其蕴含的爱国主义精神、集体主义情怀与抗争意志，与当代中华民族伟大复兴的战略需求深度契合，为社会发展提供持续的精神动能。因此，系统梳理抗战音乐的艺术特征，剖析其精神内核与新时代的价值联结，对于红色文化传承与民族精神凝聚具有重要的学理意义及实践价值。

The Historical Context and Creative Logic of Anti-Japanese War Music

抗战音乐的历史语境与创作逻辑

In the 1930s, the September 18th Incident [1]1 *On the Songhua River* (《松花江上》) is a famous Anti-Japanese War song composed by Zhang Hanhui in 1935, expressing the grief of people who lost their homes in Northeast China after the Japanese invasion. and the July 7th Incident [2]2 "Every individual is responsible for the rise or fall of the nation" (天下兴亡，匹夫有责) is a classical Chinese saying, often attributed to the scholar Gu Yanwu (1613–1682), expressing the idea that national affairs concern everyone. triggered a crisis of national survival. Because of its wide dissemination and strong感染力 [

20世纪30年代，九一八事变、七七事变引发民族存亡危机，音乐因传播广泛、感染力强成为凝聚民族意志的重要媒介，承载起人民大众的救亡诉求。抗战音乐创作主体多元，从以聂耳为代表的专业音乐家到普通民众，均将个体体验与民族命运结合在一起，以“批判侵略、共情苦难、坚定信念”为创作导向。与传统音乐的审美导向不同，抗战音乐“服务抗战动员、构建集体认同”，在敌后、沦陷区、大后方承担提振士气、传递信号、募集资源的作用。这种现实指向性使其艺术建构围绕“传播效能、情感动员、社会号召”展开，形成“艺术—社会”价值统一的创作体系。

Thematic narrative: a realistic concern centered on the fate of the nation. The realistic and epochal nature of the subject matter is a distinctive feature of Anti-Japanese War music. Centered on the fate of the nation, it covers multiple dimensions of social life during the war, constructing a comprehensive narrative system of national resistance. Works of the suffering-narrative type, typified by *On the Songhua River* [n], concretize the trauma of war through the method of "individual experience—national suffering," combining a regional perspective with repeated lamentation, thereby arousing in the people a consciousness that "every individual is responsible for the rise or fall of the nation" [n]. Works of the resistance-spirit type, represented by the *March of the Volunteers*, follow the logic of "awakening—cohesion—expectation," inspiring fighting spirit to "build a new Great Wall" [n], achieving mobilization from the individual to the collective. Works such as *The Broadsword March* and *Defend the Yellow River* employ both realist and metaphorical techniques to construct a collective memory of heroic resistance. Works of the nationwide-mobilization type, such as *The Army and People in Great Production* and *Nanniwan*, focus on construction on the home front, using optimistic and uplifting melodies to expound the concept of "self-reliance," forming a narrative structure of "fighting at the front—supporting from the rear" and creating an atmosphere of total national resistance.

题材叙事：以民族命运为核心的现实关切。现实性与时代性题材是抗战音乐的显著特征，其以民族命运为核心，涵盖抗战社会生活的多个层面，构建起全面的民族抗争叙事体系。以《松花江上》为典型的苦难叙事类作品，通过“个体体验—民族苦难”的方式，从地域视角结合重复咏叹让战争创伤具象化，激发民众形成“国家兴亡，匹夫有责”的意识。抗争精神类作品以《义勇军进行曲》为代表，遵循“觉醒—凝聚—期许”的逻辑，激发斗志，“筑成新的长城”，实现从个体到集体的动员；《大刀进行曲》《保卫黄河》借助写实与隐喻手法，构建英勇抗争的集体记忆。全民动员类创作如《军民大生产》《南泥湾》，聚焦后方建设，以乐观向上的旋律阐释“自力更生”理念，形成“前方作战—后方支援”的叙事结构，营造全民抗战氛围。

Formal construction: the dual adaptation of nationalization and popularization. To achieve nationwide mobilization, Anti-Japanese War music broke through elite barriers and constructed a formal system of "nationalization + popularization," a strategic choice based on communicative efficacy. Nationalization of the works was achieved by refining folk elements. For example, the *Yellow River Cantata* incorporates folk labor songs, using boatmen's work songs to connect nature with the national spirit; *The Newsboy's Song* absorbs the rhythms of Jiangnan folk songs, enhancing national identity and emotional resonance. Popularization followed the principle of "easy to understand and easy to sing": melodies adopted simple structures combined with the pentatonic scale, and lyrics strove for colloquialism, as seen in the direct commands of *The Broadsword March*. Through forms such as mass songs and choruses, combined with media like radio and newspapers, a broad communication network was constructed, maximizing communicative efficacy.

形式建构：民族化与大众化的双重适配。为实现全民动员，抗战音乐突破精英壁垒，构建“民族化+大众化”的形式体系，这是基于传播效能的战略选择。通过提炼民间元素实现作品的民族化，如《黄河大合唱》融合民间劳动歌曲，以船夫号子联结自然与民族精神；《卖报歌》吸收江南民歌韵律，增强民族认同与情感共鸣。大众化以“易懂易唱”为原则，旋律采用简洁结构并结合五声音阶，歌词力求口语化，如《大刀进行曲》中的直白指令，以群众歌曲、合唱等形式，结合广播、报刊等媒介构建广泛的传播网络，实现传播效能的最大化。

Emotional expression: the unified construction of sincerity and collectivity. The appeal of Anti-Japanese War music stems from the sincerity and collectivity of its emotions. The creators drew on their own experiences of suffering as a source of creation, achieving a direct transformation from lived experience to artistic expression, presenting a spiritual cohesion that transcends time and space. The sincerity of emotion is embodied through a "grief and indignation—exaltation" structure: *On the Songhua River* confronts the pain of displacement and homelessness head-on; *The Great Wall Ballad*, with its line "four hundred million compatriots, one heart," achieves a sublimation from lament to resistance, propelling the people from individual suffering toward collective action. The collectivity of emotion takes "we" as its core perspective. *The March of the Volunteers* and *Defend the Yellow River* break down regional and class boundaries, following the logic of "shared destiny—shared action," to consolidate the overall strength of the entire nation in resistance.

情感表达：真挚性与集体性的统一建构。抗战音乐的号召力源于情感的真挚性与集体性。创作者以自身经历的苦难为创作源泉，实现从生命体验到艺术表达的直接转化，呈现跨越时空的精神凝聚力。情感真挚性通过“悲愤—昂扬”的结构来体现，《松花江上》直面流离失所的痛苦，《长城谣》以“四万万同胞心一条”实现从悲叹到抗争的升华，推动民众从个体苦楚走向集体行动。情感的集体性以“我们”为核心视角，《义勇军进行曲》《保卫黄河》打破地域与阶层界限，遵循“共同命运—共同行动”的逻辑，凝聚全民抗战的整体力量。

The value reconstruction of the spiritual core of Anti-Japanese War music

抗战音乐精神内核的价值重构

Anti-Japanese War music creation takes patriotism as its core. In the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the New Era, this spiritual core is highly compatible with the needs of the times. Through value reconstruction, it becomes a core resource for cultural-ethical progress.

抗战音乐创作以爱国主义为核心，在新时代中华民族伟大复兴进程中，这一精神内核与时代需求高度契合，通过价值重构成为精神文明建设的核心资源。

The inheritance of patriotism: the value continuation from "saving the nation from subjugation and ensuring its survival" to "strengthening the nation and achieving rejuvenation." The patriotic spirit of the Anti-Japanese War took "saving the nation from subjugation and ensuring its survival" as its core; the New Era focuses on "strengthening the nation and achieving rejuvenation." The inner core is a continuous thread. Anti-Japanese War music concretizes the spirit through artistic forms, becoming a high-quality vehicle for patriotic education. Within the education system, a systematic path of inheritance is constructed: basic education uses curricula and performances to stimulate the emotions of young people; higher education deepens academic interpretation through specialized courses. In major celebrations, the ritualized presentation and performance of works such as the *March of the Volunteers* and the *Yellow River Cantata* can achieve an effect ranging from historical retrospection to spiritual inheritance, driving the transformation of the patriotic spirit into a force for national strengthening.

爱国主义的传承：从“救亡图存”到“强国复兴”的价值延续。抗战爱国精神以“救亡图存”为核心，新时代以“强国复兴”为聚焦点，内核一脉相承。抗战音乐通过艺术形式实现精神具象化，成为爱国主义教育的优质载体。在教育体系中，构建起系统传承路径：基础教育借助课程与展演激发青少年情感；高校通过专题课程深化学术阐释。在重大庆典中，《义勇军进行曲》《黄河大合唱》的仪式化呈现和展演，可以实现从历史回望到精神传承的效应，推动爱国精神转化为强国动力。

The continuation of the spirit of unity: the practical transformation from "total national resistance" to "unity of purpose." The spirit of "uniting to overcome difficulties together" embodied in Anti-Japanese War music has been elevated in New Era practices such as the fight against poverty, becoming a spiritual bond connecting history and the present. For example, the spirit of "self-reliance" contained in *Nanniwan* inspires people in the old revolutionary base areas to abandon the mentality of "waiting, relying, and asking," achieving the linkage between poverty alleviation and rural revitalization through industrial development, thereby transforming a historical spirit into a practical driving force.

团结精神的延续：从“全民抗战”到“众志成城”的实践转化。抗战音乐中“团结共克时艰”的精神，在新时代脱贫攻坚等实践中升华，成为连接历史与现实的精神纽带。如《南泥湾》蕴含的“自力更生”精神激励老区民众摒弃“等靠要”的思想，通过产业发展实现脱贫与乡村振兴衔接，将历史精神转化为现实动力。

The cultivation of cultural confidence: the genetic inheritance from "national awakening" to "national rejuvenation." Anti-Japanese War music is an important component of red culture [n]. Its nationalized creation is an artistic expression of cultural confidence, and the national cultural genes it carries provide important intellectual resources for the cultivation of cultural confidence. The excavation of folk elements in the creation of Anti-Japanese War music offers a referential path for contemporary music creation. Works such as *The Nation* [n] continue the model of "national elements + themes of the times," demonstrating the vitality of national culture.

文化自信的培育：从“民族觉醒”到“民族复兴”的基因传承。抗战音乐是红色文化的重要组成部分，其民族化创作是文化自信的艺术表达，其承载的民族文化基因为文化自信培育提供了重要的思想资源。抗战音乐创作中对民间元素的挖掘为当代音乐创作提供了可借鉴的路径。《国家》等作品延续“民族元素+时代主题”模式，彰显了民族文化生命力。

The realization path for the inheritance of Anti-Japanese War music in the New Era

抗战音乐在新时代传承的实现路径

To realize the inheritance of Anti-Japanese War music in the New Era, it is necessary to base oneself on the characteristics of the audience and the transformation of media, follow the principle of "inheriting the core, innovating the form," and promote its transformation from a historical legacy into a practical spiritual resource.

实现抗战音乐在新时代的传承，需立足受众特征与媒介变革，遵循“传承核心、创新形式”原则，推动其从历史遗产转化为现实精神资源。

Innovation in communication carriers: communication strategies adapted to the new media ecosystem. New media have reshaped the communication ecosystem. The "immersive" communication system for Anti-Japanese War music relies on new media to expand communication scenarios, enhancing communication efficacy and audience receptivity. For example, a series of short videos created around the *Yellow River Cantata*, by creatively transforming and innovatively developing the fine traditional Chinese culture, responds to the construction of core socialist values, stimulating the patriotic enthusiasm and sense of social and historical responsibility among young audiences.

传播载体创新，适配新媒体生态的传播策略。新媒体重塑传播生态，抗战音乐的“沉浸式”传播体系，便是依托新媒体拓展传播场景，提升传播效能与接受度。如围绕《黄河大合唱》而创作的系列短视频，以中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展呼应社会主义核心价值观构建，激发青年受众的爱国热情和社会与历史责任感。

Constructing a full-chain mechanism for spiritual inheritance within the education system. Education is the core channel of inheritance. In the construction of a full-chain system of "basic education—higher education—social education," the core spirit of the nation is integrated into all levels of society, forming a pattern of participation by all. Strengthen basic education: in music teaching, explain the creative background of Anti-Japanese War music, allowing the patriotic spirit to be internalized in the heart. Deepen research and practice in higher education: offer specialized courses, establish research centers to advance the collation of historical materials; cooperate with orchestras and memorial halls to carry out adapted creations and performances, achieving a two-way empowerment of scholarship and art. Expand social education: communities use "red song singing" to attract various groups; enterprises integrate it into their cultural construction; media enhance public awareness through special columns and documentaries.

在教育体系中构建全链条的精神传承机制。教育是核心传承渠道，在 “基础教育—高等教育—社会教育”全链条体系构建中，使民族精神内核融入社会各层面，形成全员参与格局。强化基础教育，在音乐教学中，讲解抗战音乐创作背景，让爱国精神内化于心。深化高等教育研究与实践，开设专题课程，成立研究中心推进史料梳理；与乐团、纪念馆合作开展改编创作与演出，实现学术与艺术双向赋能。拓展社会教育，社区以“红歌传唱”吸引各类群体；企业将其融入文化建设；媒体通过专栏、纪录片提升公众认知。

Realizing the integrated development of traditional core and modern forms. Anti-Japanese War music was born at a critical moment of national peril, forming distinct artistic characteristics through the realism of its subject matter, the nationalization of its forms, and the sincerity of its emotions, becoming an important spiritual weapon for rallying national strength and resisting the Japanese aggressors. The national spirit with patriotism at its core embodied in Anti-Japanese War music is not only a precious treasure of history but also resonates deeply in the New Era with spiritual needs such as national strength and rejuvenation, unity and striving, and cultural confidence, demonstrating enduring ideological value and artistic vitality. The contemporary vitality of Anti-Japanese War music stems from adherence to the core of the national spirit and innovation in artistic forms, enhancing its appeal to contemporary audiences through the integration of tradition and modernity. Classic adaptations must preserve the core melody and spirit; for example, the integration of the *Yellow River Cantata* with symphonic music enhances its artistic impact; the musical *Eight Women Throwing Themselves into the River*[6]6 A story from the War of Resistance against Japan (1937–1945) in which eight female soldiers of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, surrounded by Japanese forces, chose to drown themselves in the Wusuli River rather than surrender. employs a "national foundation + modern expression" approach, blending northeastern folk music with modern stage technology, using everyday objects as percussion instruments to strengthen narrative and emotion. The creative team of the large-scale symphonic chorus *The New Brigade*[7]7 A reference to the New Anhui Brigade (新安旅行团), a wartime children's propaganda troupe active during the War of Resistance. constructed a multi-dimensional narrative with "temporal dimension, historical thickness, and emotional intensity" as coordinates, incorporating classic melodies such as *We Are Not Afraid of Fighting*[8]8 A well-known children's song from the War of Resistance period, originally written by the composer Xian Xinghai. and employing non-linear narrative techniques to create an immersive audiovisual experience.

实现传统内核与现代形态的融合发展。抗战音乐诞生于民族危亡的关键时刻，以题材的现实性、形式的民族化、情感的真挚性形成鲜明艺术特征，成为凝聚民族力量、抗击日本侵略者的重要精神武器。抗战音乐蕴含的以爱国主义为核心的民族精神，不仅是历史的宝贵财富，更在新时代与强国复兴、团结奋进、文化自信等精神需求产生深刻共鸣，彰显持久的思想价值与艺术生命力。抗战音乐的时代活力，源于对民族精神内核的坚守与艺术形式的创新，通过传统与现代融合，提升对当代受众的吸引力。经典改编需保留核心旋律与精神，如《黄河大合唱》与交响乐融合提升艺术感染力；音乐剧《八女投江》通过“民族根基+现代表达”，融合东北民间音乐与现代舞台技术，用日常器物作打击乐，强化叙事与情感。大型交响合唱《新旅》创作团队以“时空维度、历史厚度、情感浓度”为坐标构建立体叙事，吸纳《只怕不抵抗》等经典旋律，以非线性叙事手法打造沉浸式视听体验。

In the context of the New Era, inheriting and promoting Anti-Japanese War music requires not only deeply exploring its artistic value and spiritual connotation but also, by combining the reception characteristics of contemporary audiences with the development trends of communication media, achieving a precise alignment between historical spirit and current needs through paths such as innovating communication carriers, integrating into educational practice, and promoting artistic innovation. The national spirit carried by Anti-Japanese War music will always be a powerful driving force for realizing national rejuvenation, inspiring generation after generation of Chinese people to strive unremittingly for national prosperity and strength and national rejuvenation. Its historical value and contemporary significance will continue to be elevated through inheritance.

在新时代背景下，传承与弘扬抗战音乐，既要深入挖掘其艺术价值与精神内涵，更要结合当代受众的接受特点与传播媒介的发展趋势，通过创新传播载体、融入教育实践、推动艺术创新等路径，实现历史精神与现实需求的精准对接。抗战音乐所承载的民族精神，将始终是实现民族复兴的强大动力，激励一代又一代中国人为国家富强、民族振兴而不懈奋斗，其历史价值与时代意义将在传承中不断升华。

(The author is a lecturer at the School of Music, Huizhou University)

（作者系惠州学院音乐学院讲师）