Loushan Pass
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Loushan Pass'' is a '' ci'' poem written by
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...
in February 1935, during the
Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...
.


Background

Loushan Pass itself is a gorge among mountains north of Tongzi County,
Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...
province, China. It is a strategic position between Tongzi and
Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...
known for how difficult it is to cross, having a long, winding path going up towards three high peaks. On 16th October, 1934, during the
Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...
, the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
began travelling from Kiansi through ten provinces, around 6,500 miles in total, hoping to arrive in Shensi to form an anti-Japanese camp. Only a small percentage of the original army survived. The
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
traversed Loushan Pass on this journey, inspiring the poem, hoping to occupy Zunyi and Tongzi. On 25th February 1935, the Red Army would complete their second traversal of Loushan Pass, battling Liu Henming's regiment led by Du Zhaohua.
Peng Dehuai Peng Dehuai (October 24, 1898November 29, 1974; also spelled as Peng Teh-Huai) was a Chinese general and politician who was the Minister of National Defense (China), Minister of National Defense from 1954 to 1959. Peng was born into a poor ...
would launch a counterattack against
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...
forces, driving them away by the 27th of February, occupying Zunyi; come the 28th, KMT forces were wiped out and driven to Wujiang River. Mao would write and publish the poem soon after. Qin, referenced in the poem's title "忆秦娥," meaning "Remembering the Beauty of Qin," is a reference to a poem by Li Bai.


Poem

憶秦娥·婁山關 現代-毛澤東 西風烈,長空雁叫霜晨月。 霜晨月,馬蹄聲碎,喇叭聲咽。 雄關漫道真如鐵,而今邁步從頭越。 從頭越,蒼山如海,殘陽如血。 A hard west wind, in the vast frozen air wild geese shriek to the morning moon, frozen morning moon. Horse hoofs shatter the air, and the bugles sob. The grim pass is like iron, yet today we cross the summit in one step, cross the summit. Before us greenblue mountains are like the sea, the dying sun like blood.


See also

* Poetry of Mao Zedong


Notes


References


External links

* {{Mao Zedong Chinese poems 1935 poems Works by Mao Zedong