The Study Of Yan’an Poetry Movement’s History

Yan’an Poetry Movement, originating at the end of 1930s, thanks to its abundant literary connotation, as well as its historical imprint, provided a new study point for historical research.It’s essential to study the history of Yan’an Poetry Movement, because the interpretation and analysis of large amount of poetry and poets haven’t fully returned back to history.This thesis will verify the origin, development and influence of the history of Yan’an Poetry Movement from historical perspective, employing a combination of literary and historical research method, on the basis of which, it will make a further analysis of the poetry and poets that played an important role in the Yan’an Poetry Movement. Consequently, the implied historical information will be discovered.Moreover, I separate the history of Yan’an Poetry Movement from the literary history and the new poetic history, for the purpose of avoiding the demerits of too much emphasis on analysis of the poetry itself and its artistic technique, in order that the cause and effect of the movement can be clearly disclosed and expressed, and reappear the whole cultural history.This thesis includes five chapters, making a detailed study of Yan’an Poetry Movement from a historical perspective. Chapter one explains the origin of the movement. Chapter two illustrates how Yan’an became the center of the movement and the first stage of the movement. Chapter three further discusses the Forum on Literature and Art in Yan’an and the second stage of the movement. Chapter four mainly analyzes the writing concepts of the poetry. Chapter five is about the contribution and influence of Yan’an poetry.In the early 1920s, the Chinese revolutionary literature emerged and got rapid and vigorous development under the conscious motivation of Chinese communists. Revolutionary poetry, as an indispensible part of revolutionary literature, naturally drew the attention and won the support of many revolutionary writers. It was then during the period of Kuomintang---Communist cooperation, therefore the revolutionary poetry mainly fustigated imperialism, feudal warlords, and it eulogized the toiling masses, and praised revolution, excluding the latterly defected Kuomintang. But after April 12th,1927, most of the revolutionary poets under the leadership of Chinese Communist, changed their direction swiftly, to form the Proletarian Poetry Group, to compose Proletarian poems, and began to fustigate the Kuomintang reactionary forces.The struggle target and praising object in the poems became more and more clear and definite, the class position became more and more certain, and the poets’camp became larger and larger. In the 1930s, the Chinese Poetry Society was founded, still keeping the revolutionary sprit of Proletarian poetry, supporting the policy of Chinese Communists, denouncing imperialism, bureaucratism, feudalism, and the dark side of the society, concerned about the working people, and thus the struggle target and class stand became even more definite. The revolutionary poetry, the Proletarian poetry, and the Chinese Poetry Society, all of these have made enormous contribution to the following Yan’an Poetry Movement.After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, the left-wing poets quickly joined the torrent of Anti-Japanese War, and hence, the Chinese Poetry Society in Shanghai dismissed virtually. Many poets rushed to Wuhan, Chongqing, Yan’an, Guilin, Hongkong, to continue their fighting. Yan’an, under the leadership of Chinese Communists, owing to its particular natural and humane environment, was regarded as an ideal place by many poets, therefore, it attracted more and more poets, and consequently, the unique poetry circle with yan’an being its center came into being. Under the leadership and organization of yan’an poets, more and more poetry unions were established one by one, and laid a foundation for the Yan’an Poetry Movement.Yan’an Poetry Movement basically can be divided into two periods, with the Form on Literature and Art in Yan’an in 1942, Mao Zedong’s speech, and Rectification Movement in literature and art circle being the dividing line. The first period mainly took the form of street poems and poetry readings. The second period mainly aimed to put Mao Zedong’s literature and art ideas into practice, and thus carried out narrative poetry in style of folk song movement and populace poetry movement. The two periods own their perspective characters. The guiding concept, the creative style, and the mentality of the poets’group were quite different from each other. The two periods of the movement together formed the Yan’an Poetry Movement. Furthermore, the poetry movement starting from Yan’an also greatly influenced other Anti-Japanese bases, such as Shanxi-Chahaer-Hebei area, and Shanxi-Hebei-Shandong-Henan area. The poetry movement in those areas also became an important part which echoed the yan’an Poetry Movement.Popularization, nationalization, and realism are the theoretical basis of the movement. The high patriotic emotion of the poets and the Chinese Communist’s ideology are the mainline from beginning to end. The three theories firstly appeared in the period of revolutionary poetry, and developed with the Proletarian poetry and Chinese Poetry Society. In Yan’an Poetry Movement, the theory always accompanied the poets and their creations, and they were realized eventually by virtue of Rectification Movement in literature and art circle in Yan’an and the practice of literary and art thought of Mao Zedong. Meanwhile, the political stand of the Yan’an poets was established finally during the process of practicing the thought.The origin, starting, and development of Yan’an Poetry Movement are continuous historical development. It promoted the victory of Anti-japanese War; it incites the toiling masses; it brought many outstanding poets to the front; it made the best work popular; meanwhile it contributed a lot in the functional literacy and patriotic education of the populace. It’s also a successful and profound practice in helping the transition of intellectuals, in the attraction of many poets in the Kuomintang-ruled area, in Chinese Communists’strive for political power, and in the publicity of communist ideology. As a controversial part in the history of the Chinese New Poetry, its status and influences are rather complicated, which deserve further discussion.This thesis will do a panoramic study of the history of the Yan’an Poetry Movement, regarding the movement as a complete cultural history, to make a through inquiry of its ins and outs, and to discover the historical truth.