Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) — A conference dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of American journalist Edgar Snow was held at Peking University on Friday.
E. Snow was born in 1905 to an ordinary farming family in Missouri. In 1936, when China was engulfed in internal conflict and faced foreign aggression, E. Snow traveled to the remote headquarters of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Shaanxi Province (Northwest China), where he conducted extensive interviews with top party leaders, including the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.
Snow’s own reporting resulted in Red Star Over China, published a year later. It provided not only the West but also China itself with a rare and authentic account of the Chinese Red Army, its leadership, and its unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the Chinese people.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, E. Snow visited China three times and was warmly received by its top leaders. After his visits, he never ceased to worry about China, firmly supported the just cause of the Chinese people, and actively promoted the development of friendly relations between the PRC and the United States.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Fu Hua, director general of Xinhua News Agency, said that Snow was a sincere friend of the Chinese people, an envoy of China-US relations and a respected journalist.
“Through his cross-border and cross-cultural journalism practice, E. Snow has provided the world with an accurate, multi-dimensional and comprehensive picture of China,” Fu Hua said.
“The values embedded in Snow’s work—honesty, curiosity, courage in the face of political pressure—are values that need to be affirmed, renewed, even strengthened, to truly honor his memory,” said Samuel Colin MacLean, a relative of Snow and a fellow at Harvard’s Fairbank Center for China Studies.
“E. Snow believed that only honest, unvarnished and uncensored communication could bridge the gap between our countries and prevent unnecessary conflicts,” noted S.K. MacLean.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. In this regard, Sun Hua, director of the Edgar Snow China Research Center at Peking University, noted that “Red Star Over China” played a key role in popularizing the CPC’s idea of forming a united front against Japanese aggression.
Sun Hua explained that as a result of Snow’s work, teams of U.S. representatives, including military observers, went to northern Shaanxi to support China’s anti-fascist efforts. “Snow’s book not only helped unite the Chinese people, but also played an important role in mobilizing international support, including assistance from the United States and Britain,” he said.
“Let us pass on the spirit of E. Snow from generation to generation, overcoming not only geographical distances but also ideological differences, promoting cultural and humanitarian exchanges and mutual learning between different countries and regions,” Fu Hua said.
The event, jointly organized by Peking University and the Xinhua Research Institute, was attended by relatives and close friends of E. Snow, as well as experienced journalists and experts in E. Snow studies and international communications.
During the event, guests discussed how China can focus on building a more effective international communications system, and thematic sub-forums discussed topics such as “Introducing the Real China to the World” and “Training Personnel and the Legacy of E. Snow’s Spirit.” –0–