The East Is Red (), also known as The East Is Red: A Song and Dance Epic, is a 1965 Chinese film and musical directed by Wang Ping. It is based on an opera assembled by Zhou Enlai and presents an abridged history of the Chinese Communist Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Mao Zedong's leadership. The film traces the revolution from the May Fourth Movement to the Civil War against the Nationalist Party, culminating in the CCP victory and the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The East Is Red remains commercially available on CD, videos, and online platforms, usually with English subtitles.
The East Is Red was originally a peasant love song written in the 1930s. This song was also a paean extolling Mao. In 1938, after the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the song was rewritten to inspire people in the fight against occupation by the Empire of Japan. After the rise of Mao as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party in the early 1940s, the song was rewritten again by a primary school teacher.
The East is Red was in part inspired by a North Korean production. In 1960, the Senior General of the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department (GSD) Luo Peiqing visited North Korea, along with air force commander Liu Yalou.ÃÂ During their visit to North Korea, the Korean side performed a large-scale song and dance entitled "Three Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers", whose content was largely adapted from songs and dances during the war period. On their way back to China, Shenyang military area command held a party and performed four revolutionary songs.
After returning to China, Liu Yalou had the idea of making a revolution-related artistic work by using the popular revolutionary songs among the public, which he thought would encourage the public during the difficult three-year period.ÃÂ By the end of 1960, the Air Political and Cultural Troupe sent songwriters including Zhang Shixie, Zhu Jianyuan, Yao Xuecheng, Chen Jie, etc. to integrate the songs. The script named The Glorious History was made and given to Liu Yalou. Later, as suggested by Niu Chang, they renamed it "Revolutionary History Songs Singing" and started to show it to the audiences.
After Zhou Enlai saw "Revolutionary History Songs Singing" and "Singing Forward under the Banner of Mao Zedong", on July 30, 1964, Zhou convened the relevant officials at a meeting in Xi Hua Hall, Zhong Nan Hai, and made the final decision about launching the musical concert project, and this concert was named as "The East Is Red" during the meeting. Zhou Enlai served not only as the producer of The East Is Red but also as the chief political leader of the project. According to the oral history by director Huang Weixing, Zhou personally convened meetings with military and cultural officials to guide the structure, ideological tone, and even the naming of the performance. He emphasized that all members of the creative team should study the writings of Mao Zedong in order to ensure ideological consistency throughout the film, from choreography and set design to performance style and script. On October 2, 1964, The East is Red was performed for the first time in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 15th anniversary of National Day. Wang Ping produced and directed the film. The East is Red was performed by little egret folk dance troupes.
According to the published articles by the main producers of The East Is Red, including Chen Yading, An Bo, etc., the individuals who took responsibility for drafting the basic format of the epic were required to learn about Mao's works first and use Maoism as a red line of the project. Performers of the epic hung up quotations from Mao at rehearsal venues.
The East Is Red traces the history of the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong from its founding in July 1921 to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The musical details key events in Communist Party history, including the introduction of Communism to China through the October Revolution in Russia and the May Fourth Movement, the Northern Expedition, the KMT-led Shanghai Massacre of 1927, the Nanchang Uprising, and the formation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Long March, guerrilla warfare of the PLA during the Second United Front during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the subsequent overthrow of the National Government of the Republic of China on Mainland China by the PLA in the decisive phase of the Chinese Civil War, and the founding of the People's Republic on October 1, 1949.
The East Is Red is divided into the following named stages: The prelude "Sunflowers Face the Sun", followed by "Dawn of the East", "A Spark Ignites a Prairie Fire", "Ten Thousand Crags and Torrents", "Beacon of Anti-Japanese Resistance", "Bury the Chiang Family Dynasty", and "The Chinese People Have Stood Up". Two additional scenes, the seventh and eighth, are supposed to be shown at the end of the play. The seventh scene, "The Motherland Moves Forward" (ç¥Âå½å¨åÂÂè¿Â, lyrics by Wang Jian, composer Gu Jianfen Jianfen), includes a song that is not mentioned, âÂÂMao zhu xi, the sun in our heartsâ (æ¯Â主å¸Âï¼ÂæÂÂ们å¿Âä¸ÂçÂÂ太é³), by Shen Ya Wei. The eighth scene, "The World Moves Forward" (ä¸ÂçÂÂå¨åÂÂè¿Â), together with the seventh scene, was omitted from the film adaptation during filming under Mao's suggestion.
Not long after its premiere, Zhou Enlai proposed a film adaptation of the production. In December 1965, Zhou invited the film artists of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), as well as members of the director group of The East is Red, to the Great Hall of the People to hold a symposium on film shooting.
At this symposium, it was confirmed that the film would be a national-level production under close political supervision. Zhou oversaw choreography, costumes, and set design, while Jiang Qing personally reviewed every visual element, mandating that "costumes and props and each detail of the film were to be examined" under her direction. At the same meeting, Jiang Qing expressed her concern: "I am very worried about turning this large-scale music and dance epic into a film because The East is Red is not cohesive and coherent enough, the artistic effect is flat, and the revolutionary optimism is not prominent enough."
Despite these concerns, production proceeded and three movie companies came together to film it: Wang Ping, co-director Li Enjie, and August First Film Studio. Principal cinematography finished on September 18, 1965. The film was released on National Day of 1965.ÃÂ The original play's six main sections depicting the history of the Communist Party remained, while some scenes were cut.ÃÂ The film was released on October 2, 1965.
In the film, these songs are accompanied by exaggerated acting and dancing. Many scenes involve dancing girls pointing AK-47s. Singers featured in the film include Wang Kun, Tseten Dolma, Hu Songhua, and Guo Lanying.
The major songs of The East is Red continue to be popular in contemporary China, especially at concerts commemorating the anniversaries of the founding of the Communist Party, of the People's Liberation Army, and of the People's Republic of China.
The East is Red contains more than 30 songs in over two hours, mostly adapted from folk songs. "Deep Feelings" is adapted from the folk tune of the Yi nationality, the song of the Yueqin. In the prelude "Sunflowers Face the Sun", the sunflower motif represents ChineseÃÂ people of all ethnic groups, withÃÂ Mao Zedong as the sun.
The film's visual design emphasized geometric choreography and disciplined formations, expressing socialist ideals of collectivism and national unity. As dance scholar Jia Xiaoxiao notes, formations in group dances were constructed using symmetrical and angular patterns to symbolize ideological order. This aesthetic choice reinforced the narrative of a highly coordinated, politically aligned populace under centralized leadership.
The East is Red was the first occurrence ofàHan Chinese and ethnic minorities in China dancing together on the same stage. Many ethnic minorities are depicted happily singing and dancing. Additionally, the film incorporates both Mandarin and Tibetan dialogue, which was unusual for Chinese cinema of the time. This multilingualismâÂÂalong with the costuming and casting of ethnic minoritiesâÂÂserved to emphasize the CCP's message of ethnic unity. The film's use of language was part of its larger cultural strategy to visually and aurally represent a harmonious multiethnic state.
The first stage, "Dawn of the East", starts with a long dance segment depicting the "Years of Suffering" preceding the PRC from subjugation under foreign influences and social divide. This stage borrows the folktale "River and River ()" from the soundtrack. The last song of the stage is "Workers, Peasants and Soldiers, Unite! ()".
The second stage, "A Spark Ignites a Prairie Fire", has four parts. The first part is the performance of "The Righteous Song (). "Autumn Harvest Uprising" is the main part of the show. "Meeting at Mount Jinggang" is a performance composed of three songs, in which the duet of female voices, "Pairs of Straw Sandals for the Red Army ()", uses double voice polyphony to give the front section the characteristics of Jiangxi folk songs. It features the songs "Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention ()" and "Fighting Against the Local Tyrants and Dividing the Land", which describes the people's complaints against their enemies.
The third stage, the song "Ten Thousand Crags and Torrents" highlights the Chinese Red Army of workers and peasants as they pass the time while trekking the difficult journey of the 9,000 km Long March through singing and dancing. The songs used in the program include "Long March" and "Over Snow Mountain and Grass ()".
The fourth stage, "Beacon of Anti-Japanese Resistance", shows the plight of the Chinese people in the Second Sino-Japanese War since the Mukden incident, which consists of five parts. "Along the Songhua River ()" sets up the stage as it represents the fall of the northeast. This alsoÃÂ indicates the opening of the Anti-Japanese War with a guerrilla song that uses rhythmic drums. The performance, "Mass Production", uses songs "Nanniwan ()", "Coming in February" and "Ten Songs in the Border Area" from the Yan'an mass production movement.
The fifth stage, "Bury the Chiang Family Dynasty", has four sections. Following the victory of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai Shek launched a civil war with the support of American imperialism against the Communists. Among them, the songs "Unity is Power ()" and "Not Afraid to Go to Jail ()" show that the Communist Party has vowed to come together and defend the oppressed people of China. "March Dance" and "A Million Heroes Crossing the River" express the party's quick victory over the Kuomintang through dance. The song "The Sky Above the Liberated Zone ()" celebrates the victory of the Communist army and represents the long-awaited liberation of the people of China. "The Occupation of Nanjing by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (人æ°Â解æ¾åÂÂå é¢ÂÃ¥ÂÂ京)" is the end.
The sixth stage, "The Chinese People Have Stood Up", introduced the singing of the national anthem "March of the Volunteers ()" and the song "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China ()". It starts with the songs "Ode ()" Hu Songhua and "Chairman Mao, I Wish You a Long Life ()" by Tseten Drolma. After that, the following segments, "Ode to the Motherland ()" and "The Internationale ()" further praise the achievements of victory.
Scholars consider The East Is Red a landmark in the revolutionary âÂÂmusic-and-dance epicâ genre, blending operatic performance, folk elements, and socialist realism into a unified form of propaganda art. According to Lu Chen, the work "integrates music, dance, poetry, art, and other art forms" to convey political ideology, history, and collective memory, and helped pioneer âÂÂa new way of national song and dance.âÂÂ
This visual and musical format would go on to influence later state productions, such as the PLA's 1984 stage spectacle The Laud for the Chinese Revolution and the 2009 patriotic film Road to Revival. These works echo the stylistic conventions of The East Is RedâÂÂmass choreographed ensembles, musical narration of revolutionary history, and a fusion of multiple performance disciplinesâÂÂcementing the film's lasting legacy in Chinese visual and political culture.
In addition to its domestic impact, The East Is Red was also shown abroad, especially in socialist-aligned countries during the 1960s. Although its circulation in Western countries was limited, the film served as a symbolic export of Maoist ideology. Scholar Chen Xiaomei argues that it presented international audiences with a stylized vision of revolutionary China, functioning as âÂÂa curated cultural performance of national triumph and ideological purity.âÂÂ
(), also rendered in English as The Song of the Chinese Revolution, is a 1984 Chinese film directed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Movie Studio (namely the August First Film Studio), depicts the history of China, particularly under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, from 1840 (the Opium War) to 1984 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. This film is considered the second grand song-and-dance epic of the PRC with the support of the central government, following The East Is Red.
The Road to Revival (), was produced by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the Ministry of Culture, the Chinese National Broadcasting Bureau, Political Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army and the Beijing City Government. It is a 2009 Chinese film created for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the PRC. The narrative of The Road to Revival extends its narrative to the post-Mao period.
23. Huang, Weixing (2012). âÂÂå²è¯ÂãÂÂä¸Âæ¹红ãÂÂÃ¥ÂÂä½Âè å£述å²â Tsinghua University. Beijing: https://cread.jd.com/read/startRead.action?bookId=30152719&readType=1