–Mao Zedong, December 1936
Red flags on walls in sunset glow,
West winds sweep o’er the lone fort’s brow.
Bao’an sees new faces all around.
In cave-halls feasts abound,
For one just freed from prison’s bound.
What pen so fine can match her might?
Three thousand Mauser troops in fight.
War plans east of Longshan take flight.
Yesterday’s lady of letters bright,
Today’s warrior-general in sight!
Note
Composed in December 1936 at Bao’an (present-day Zhidan County, Shaanxi), the temporary headquarters of the CPC Central Committee after the Long March. Sent to Ding Ling via military telegraph while she was on the front line. This is Mao’s only ci poem dedicated to a modern writer.
Ding Ling (1904-1986), woman writer, who joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1932, was imprisoned by the Kuomintang at Nanjing for more than three years. Set free in the summer 1936, she went to Bao’an in the northwest of Shaanxi Province, where she was welcomed by Mao Zedong in a cave. Asked about her plan, she said she would serve in the army, and then she went to the east of Mountains Long on the border of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Linjiangxian (Riverview Fairy, or Immortal at the river)
A classic ci (song lyric) tune originating from Tang Dynasty music. Characterized by melodic flow, suitable for lyrical and heroic themes.
Ding Ling (1904–1986)
Prominent modern Chinese writer, former head of the League of Left-Wing Writers. Arrested by the Nationalist government in 1933 for revolutionary literary activities; released in 1936 after rescue. She became the first famous writer from the Nationalist-controlled areas to reach the Communist base. Mao highly praised her transformation from a literati to a revolutionary soldier.
Bao’an
Temporary capital of the CPC Central Committee (1936–1937). “lone fort” describes its remote, walled revolutionary base status.
feast in cave-halls
Refers to the grand welcome banquet held in a loess cave-dwelling (typical northern Shaanxi housing) for Ding Ling, attended by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and other top leaders.
one freed from prison
Directly refers to Ding Ling, newly released from Nationalist detention.
What pen so fine can match her might? Three thousand Mauser troops in fight
slender pen: Metaphor for Ding Ling’s writing as a revolutionary weapon.
Mauser: German-made rifles, symbol of elite, well-armed soldiers. Mao equates her pen’s power to a crack regiment – revolutionary literature = military force.
east of Longshan
Longshan (Loong Mountain) is a strategic range on the Shaanxi-Gansu border. “East of Longshan” means the Red Army’s frontline combat zone.
Yesterday’s lady of letters bright, Today’s warrior-general
Classic parallelism celebrating Ding Ling’s transformation: from a bourgeois female writer to a frontline revolutionary warrior.
Revolutionary Literati Integration
The poem epitomizes the CPC’s valuing of intellectuals and the ideal of combining literary talent with revolutionary action.
Cave-Dwelling Culture
Loess cave-homes symbolize the hardy, simple revolutionary life in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base.
Warrior-Literati Tradition
Revives the ancient Chinese ideal of scholars who also fight – “the pen to pacify the realm, the sword to secure the universe”.
临江仙-给丁玲同志
壁上红旗飘落照，
西风漫卷孤城。
保安人物一时新。
洞中开宴会，
招待出牢人。
纤笔一枝谁与似？
三千毛瑟精兵。
阵图开向陇山东。
昨天文小姐，
今日武将军。
Leave a Reply