—Mao Zedong, Summer 1933
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet hue,
Who waves the colored ribbon high in view?
After fresh rain the slanting sunbeams glow;
Our mountains green and grand in steady flow.
Fierce battles raged here in bygone days,
Bullet holes still mark the village walls always.
These scars now grace our mountains’ face;
They shine more lovely in the present day’s embrace.
Note
On February 9, 1929. the Red Army led by Mao Zedong arrived at the Place of Big Cypress (Dabaidi), about ten kilometres to the north of Ruijin, centre of the Red area in Jiangxi Province. On February 10, the Red Army beat the 7th Independant Division of Kuomintang which came on its heels to the Place of Big Cypress, and captured over 800 men, including two regiment commanders. Four years later, that is. in the summer of 1933, after winning the battle against the fourth “Encirclement- campaign launched by Kuomintang, Mao Zedong and his Red Army passed again the Place of Big Cypress when he wrote this poem.
Ci Poetry: Pusa Man (Bodhisattva Man or Buddhist Dancers)
A classic cipai (tune pattern) in classical Chinese poetry, short and lyrical, often used to blend scenery, memory, and emotion.
Battle of Place of Big Cypress – Dabaidi (1929)
In February 1929, the Red Army led by Mao Zedong and Zhu De won a major ambush victory here against Kuomintang troops, ending a long period of setbacks.
Scenery-and-memory lyric tradition
A major poetic style in Chinese literature, in which natural scenery triggers reflections on history, battles, and life.
Colored ribbon
A vivid metaphor for the rainbow, showing romantic optimism.
Bullet holes adorn the mountains
A unique aesthetic view in revolutionary poetry: war scars are no longer wounds but decorations of victory, symbolizing the glory of the revolutionary cause.
Slanting sun after rain
A classic Chinese poetic image of peaceful, bright scenery after hardship, implying hope and victory.
菩萨蛮・大柏地
毛泽东・一九三三年夏
赤橙黄绿青蓝紫，谁持彩练当空舞？
雨后复斜阳，关山阵阵苍。
当年鏖战急，弹洞前村壁。
装点此关山，今朝更好看。
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