Strings of Song Through the Flames of War, Cultural Threadads Linking China and Russia | Launch of Sino-Sovietusical and Cultural Exchange During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Successfully Held

On the afternoon of July 5, the launch event and academic exchange for Professor Wu Jingyu's monograph Sino-Soviet Musical and Cultural Exchange During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was held at the China Democratic Parties History Exhibition Hall in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. The event was hosted by Chongqing Normal University and the Chongqing History Research Association, co-organized by the China Democratic Parties History Exhibition Hall, and undertaken by the Sino-Russian Music Creation and Academic Research Center. The event brought together experts and scholars in the fields of Sino-Russian musicology, history, and communication studies, along with literary and art workers and university faculty and students. Centered on the book launch and integrating academic exchange, artistic exchange, and cultural exchange, it presented a cross-disciplinary, cross-national exchange of literature, history, and art.

The event was tightly organized and rich in content. First, host Gao Jingli gave an opening introduction, explaining the background of the event, the guests present, and the overall agenda. Then, Professor Cai Fei, President of the Chongqing History Research Association and Dean of the School of Journalism of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, and Professor Wu Jingyu, head of the Sino-Russian Music Creation and Academic Center and a faculty member of the School of Music of Chongqing Normal University, took the stage in turn to deliver speeches, highly affirming the significance of this event in deeply exploring Chongqing's musical heritage from the War of Resistance, filling in weak areas in related academic research, and deepening two-way Sino-Russian artistic exchange. After the speeches, congratulatory videos from guests in the music, academic, and cultural circles at home and abroad were played on site; the elegant and solemn footage further enhanced the strong atmosphere of artistic exchange throughout the event.

In the academic exchange segment, Chinese and foreign scholars including Zhou Yong, Li Yan, Anna Margkina, Li Wenfu, Li Enmin, Sun Wei, Long Qiang, Chen Ruoxu, Kalabova Tatyana, Luo Ji, and Zhang Jianhua conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as Sino-Soviet musical dissemination during the war, the development of literature and art in Chongqing as the wartime rear area, and mutual learning in Sino-Russian artistic exchange. Combining their respective research perspectives, they interpreted the academic connotations of the new book, generating full intellectual collision and a strong academic atmosphere on site.

After the academic discussions concluded, a transnational music performance took the stage, covering poetry recitation, piano performance, string ensemble, and vocal solo, among other categories. Professor Wu Jingyu, the author of the book, took the stage to sing, recreating with superb vocal skill the transnational musical friendship of those years of flames, becoming a highlight of the event. The entire performance carried history through music, vividly presenting the weighty heritage of the War of Resistance in a lively artistic form. A free exchange session was arranged at the end of the event, laying a good foundation for subsequently building cross-disciplinary and cross-national channels for regular academic exchange.

This book, written by Professor Wu Jingyu with a preface by Professor Zhou Yong, is the first domestic monograph focusing on Sino-Soviet musical and cultural exchange during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and a pioneering achievement in the history of foreign musical exchange in the wartime rear area. Drawing on primary historical sources such as Xinhua Daily and Sino-Soviet Culture, the book sorts out the thread of modern Sino-Soviet musical interaction, clarifies the trajectory of the focus of musical exchange shifting from Harbin and Shanghai to Yan'an and Chongqing, and includes precious historical facts such as the translation and introduction of The Internationale, the creation of The Yellow River Cantata, and the dissemination of Shostakovich's symphonies in Chongqing. It presents the achievements of mutual learning between Sino-Soviet musical civilizations in both directions, further broadening the research horizons of the cultural history of the War of Resistance and the history of Sino-Soviet relations.

The book also carries important contemporary value. Closely tied to the theme of the China-Russia Years of Education, it provides historical support for Sino-Russian educational and cultural cooperation and mutual artistic learning in the new era. At the same time, it deeply explores Chongqing's musical resources from the War of Resistance, helping to revitalize and pass on local historical culture. Using music as a bond, the book bears witness to the deep friendship of the peoples of the two countries fighting the enemy with one heart during the Anti-Fascist War, provides a vivid model for carrying forward the spirit of the War of Resistance and spreading the concept of mutual learning among civilizations, and offers a high-quality reference for interdisciplinary research in literature, history, and art in universities.

The book launch was successfully held, promoting academic, artistic, and cultural exchange that brought out the best in each other. The event not only successfully introduced a high-quality original academic achievement and enhanced the social influence of research on wartime Sino-Soviet musical exchange, but also further explored Chongqing's cultural resources from the War of Resistance and enhanced people-to-people exchanges between Chinese and Russian artistic and academic circles. In the future, all parties will take this opportunity to continue carrying out research related to music culture through the Sino-Russian Music Creation and Academic Research Center, contributing to the high-quality development of Sino-Russian people-to-people and cultural exchange in the new era.