Yan’an forum:“Legacy of the Snows in the New Era”

Ba Cuicui

O n June 18， an international forum— Legacy of the Snows in the New Era — was successfully held in Yanan， Shaanxi province. The forum was co-hosted by the CPAFFC and the Shaanxi provincial government. President Lin Songtian of the CPAFFC， Vice-Governor Wei Jianfeng of Shaanxi and Mayor Xue Zhanhai of Yanan addressed the meeting. More than 200 participants attended the event， including families of famous international friends： Michael Crook， son of Isabel Crook and president of Gung Ho International； Huang Huanbi， wife of Israel Epstein； Jiang Guozhen， wife of Richard Frey； Eric Foster， nephew of Helen Snow； Mi Dehua， son of Hans Mueller and Kyoko Nakamura； Zheng Xiaoti， daughter of Zheng Lvcheng； Fred Engst， son of Sid Engst and Joan Hinton； foreign experts working in China； and representatives from all walks of life in the country.

Guests from abroad attended the meeting virtually or gave video remarks， including Warren Bethune， representing Henry Norman Bethunes family and president of Toronto chapter of the Canada China Friendship Association； Elspeth Sandys， niece of Rewi Alley； Sidne Ward， president of the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation； Adam Foster， president of the Helen Snow Foundation； and James Lindsay， son of Michael Lindsay and Dave Bromwich， president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society.

About a dozen Chinese media outlets， including Peoples Daily， Xinhua News Agency， China Media Group， Global Times and ThePaper. cn， and eight overseas media outlets， including Bloomberg， RTR， Neue Zurcher Zeitung， Prensa Latina， JoongAng Ilbo， Khmer Daily and the South China Morning Post， visited Yanan and Liangjiahe village to cover the event.

President Lin said that in celebrating the centennial of the CPC， it is significant to have families of international friends and journalists from home and abroad visiting Yanan and attending the international forum on the Snows. When the CPC led the Chinese people in fighting the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and carrying out the New Democratic Revolution， numerous international friends of vision from the Soviet Union， the United States， the United Kingdom， France， Germany， Japan， Canada， New Zealand and Korea — with lofty ideals and a belief in justice — risked their lives and traveled tens of thousands of miles to Yanan， where they fought side-byside with the CPC and Chinese people， devoted their youth and wisdom to the Chinese revolution and socialist construction and made great sacrifices and contributions that helped spread the voice of justice around the world.

Lin said the purpose of organizing the visits was to express gratitude to international friends and admiration of their search for justice； to comfort them by telling them that they had made the right choice and that the CPC has not failed the Chinese people； and to encourage more international friends of vision to promote internationalism in the new era with love transcending national boundaries.

Lin said the visit have three main implications：

First， the CPC has always persisted in its governing idea that “this country is its people， and the people are the country”. The Party stands for the people， relies on them and works for them. It has always represented the fundamental interests of all Chinese people and has no special interests of its own or any privileges. That explains why the CPC enjoys the wholehearted support of the people and has remained a governing party for so long. That is also the fundamental difference between the CPC and the political parties in the United States and other Western countries.

Second， the CPC has never forgotten its original aspirations and mission to achieve national rejuvenation， prosperity and peoples happiness. To that end， it has made continuous efforts and great sacrifices.

Third， the CPC has always stood on the right side of history. It is a proven fact that one who practices justice will gain support from many people， and one who doesnt practice justice will have few allies. The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， the War of Liberation and the socialist cause led by the CPC have gained the support of numerous people of vision around the world. President Xi Jinping stands on the right side of history. He has initiated the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind， among other Chinese concepts and initiatives. In the face of a decision concerning the future of mankind， there are two choices： pursue the new path of winwin cooperation or follow the old path of zero-sum game. I believe men of wisdom from all across the globe will have the right answer in mind.

Lin also expressed hope that more people who keep the future of mankind and the world in their hearts will come to better understand China； objectively report on China； present a real， comprehensive and stereoscopic image of China to the world； promote win-win cooperation and shared development； and take part in the joint effort to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Vice-Governor Wei Jianfeng of Shaanxi province noted that Edgar Snow represented a group of international friends who witnessed and participated in the struggle of the CPC in the past 100 years， forging a revolutionary friendship through thick and thin. In the new era， Wei said， it is hoped that international friends will continue to care about China， support Shaanxi province， increase mutual understanding， strengthen cooperation， share development opportunities and contribute their wisdom and strength to promoting people-to-people connectivity and building a human community with a shared future.

In the forums first session —“International Friends and Chinas Revolution” — Huang Huanbi， Jiang Guozhen， Mi Dehua， Zheng Xiaoti and Fred Engst told stories of their families sharing weal and woe with the CPC and the Chinese people， the hardships they had experienced in coming to understand， trust and support the CPC， and their lifetime commitments to partnering with the CPC and devoting their entire lives to its great cause.

In the second session — “International Friends and Gung Ho” — guests from home and abroad reviewed the histories of Rewi Alley and Edgar and Helen Snow in supporting the CPC during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and in initiating Gung Ho and “saving the country by developing industries”. They also briefed the audience about Gung Hos development in the new era， and said they would carry on the Gung Ho spirit of “working hard， and working together”. They pledged to promote new developments for Gung Ho in China and the world.

In the third session — “Calling for the Snows of the New Era” — the guests had extensive discussions on carrying on and promoting internationalism in the new era. They reached an agreement calling for more journalists to follow the path of the Snows， take objective and unbiased positions and stay away from political influence and partisan prejudices when covering China to present a true picture of China to the world.

During the forum， a photo exhibition of Snow was opened by Lin Songtian and Wei Jianfeng. A large number of photos and historical relics were displayed to recall the stories of Edgar and Helen Snow， who came to Yanan during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and interviewed CPC leaders including Mao Zedong， Zhou Enlai and Zhu De. They reported the real situation of Red China to the rest of the world.