A Study Of The Construction Of The Soviet Union’s State Image In "Sino-Soviet Culture"(1936-1945)

In the early 1930 s,the war against Japan entered a new phase,the capitalist world was in a deep economic crisis,the situation in Europe was tense,and the Soviet Union was developing rapidly since the beginning of socialist construction,which attracted the attention of the world.Against this background,the Sino-Soviet Cultural Association was established in 1935 as a semi-official private exchange organization initiated by Zhang Ximan,a democrat who stayed in the Soviet Union.With the purpose of promoting cultural exchanges between China and the Soviet Union and enhancing friendship between the two countries,the association’s organ publication "Sino-Soviet Culture" was also born.As the most important comprehensive publication for the propaganda and introduction of the Soviet Union in the then National Unification Area,"Sino-Soviet Culture" reported on the Soviet Union with rich contents and diverse topics,showing readers the achievements of the Soviet Union in political,economic,cultural and national development during the war period in China.Politically,the Soviet Union’s 1936 Constitution legalized the Soviet democratic system and guaranteed that "the people are the masters of their own house";externally,the Soviet Union pursued a peaceful foreign policy of collective security;the Soviet Red Army fought bravely against fascist aggression;economically,the Soviet Union’s economy grew rapidly after two five-year plans and basically realized the collectivization,mechanization and industrialization of agriculture;culturally,the Soviet Union’s economy grew rapidly after two five-year plans.Culturally,education was popularized and social and cultural undertakings represented by cinema,theater,and book publishing flourished;in terms of national outlook,Soviet women were liberated,children were carefully cared for,and youth actively participated in construction.On the whole,"Sino-Soviet Culture" constructs a positive image of the Soviet power,but also shows a propaganda strategy of "reporting the good news but not the bad" and a biased political and diplomatic stance.On the one hand,this was due to the political background of the war,the need to maintain friendly relations between China and the Soviet Union,and the need to obtain Soviet aid.On the other hand,the development of communist relations during the war period made "Sino-Soviet Culture" gradually become a propaganda window for the CCP,and with this position,the CCP also actively carried out propaganda activities to consolidate and develop the anti-Japanese national united front.All in all,despite the tendency to overstate the image of the Soviet state constructed in Sino-Soviet Culture,the journal’s public opinion activities have written a good story in the history of Sino-Soviet exchanges,strongly promoted the development of friendly relations between China and the Soviet Union,and greatly supported China’s war effort.