Yan’an （延安）is a city of museums and places of revolutionary significance. She sees her future in that light and as the “Red Education” center. And yes, I did have half a day of “Red Education” or “Re-education.” The Red Education gave me a more balanced view of China and the place of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the history of the land of my forefathers. It gave me a different perspective of what the West tells (or fails to tell) the rest of the world.
The Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall (延安革命纪念馆) is worth going through slowly – imbibing and assimilating the essence of a tumultuous bygone era. The flow of events gives the interested learners time to reflect and imagine. We can come to our own conclusion whether the museum is an exceptionally well-engineered brainwashing machine or an attempt by the CCP to tell her side of the Chinese nation-building story.
The exhibits and stories are in Chinese. It looks like the museum focuses on the domestic audience. It is unlikely to be of interest to Westerners in general (as the perception of anything revolutionary is considered CCP propaganda). I did not see any foreigners in the museum or during my entire three-day stay in Yan’an.
The central theme of the exhibits was the founding of the CCP and how the Party took 28 years (1921-1949) to re-establish China as a sovereign entity – a new China – 新中国。 My years of learning Chinese, which started from scratch at 45-years old, paid off handsomely. I felt happy (maybe even elated); I could read and understand the stories first hand.
I found the circumstances leading to the founding of the Party absorbing. The initial working relationship with the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang), their power struggle, which led to the Party’s retreat (Long March), was equally intriguing. The Japanese Occupation, the civil war after the Japanese Occupation, and, finally, the birth of a new China On 1st October 1949 gave me a new understanding of the present-day difficulties with Taiwan and Japan.
Like other museums in the world, at the end of the viewing, we reach shops selling souvenirs or gifts. I did not buy anything. Upon leaving the shops, we exit to the main lobby. Prominently displayed is a notice inviting visitors to join the CCP.
So, could I be persuaded to be a member of the Communist Party? I guess given further exposure to “Red Education,” I might do so. But then, Party membership is only for Chinese nationals. Fortunately, I don’t have to agonise over this issue.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
