Focus Interview: Cultural Resistance Unites as a Powerful Force for National Resistance

In 1939, in early spring in Yan’an, the bitter cold weather and frozen ground did not deter composer Xian Xinghai’s dedication to capturing the flames of passion for his work. In a small earthen cave by the Yan River, amidst howling northern winds, he sat focused under a dim kerosene lamp and a small charcoal fire, and for six days and nights, he resonated with the thoughts of the Frontline Poet Guang Wenrui to complete the classic piece ‘The Yellow River Cantata.’ ‘The wind is howling, the horses are neighing, the Yellow River is roaring, the Yellow River is roaring!’ At a crucial moment of life and death for the Chinese nation, this national symphonic epic inspired countless Chinese to rush to the frontline to resist aggression and composed a resounding hero’s ode.