The history of Xiamen Children’s National Salvation Theater

Reason for creation

Xiamen Children’s National Salvation Theater (referred to as “Xiaer Troupe”) was established in China after the July 7th Incident in 1937 in order to adapt to the new situation of anti-Japanese and national salvation. Under the leadership of the *** Xiamen Working Committee, based on some young actors from the "Gewing Drama Club" and the "Green Miao Literary Club" of Zhonghua Primary School, and absorbing some patriotic children, it was officially established on September 3, 1937. of.

There are 4 teachers and 34 members in the group. The youngest is seven years old, the oldest is seventeen years old, and most of them are between twelve and thirteen years old. Comrade Hong Ling, the leader and director of the "Xiaer League", is the first Communist Party member specially sent by the Xiamen Working Committee of the Communist Party of China. The headquarters of "Xiaer Tuan" is located in Baoshengtang, Anding Road, Xiamen City.

Activities in Xiamen

As soon as the "Xiaer Troupe" was established, they showed their unique vitality. When they performed "Under Fire" at the Lujiang Theater in Gulangyu Island for the first time, they won received praise from the audience. Then, dramas and songs such as "Ancient Temple Bells" and "Little Heroes", "Little Bastard", "Fighting Back Home", "Young Pioneers Song", and "Fighting the Yangtze River" were performed at the Nanxing Theater in Xiamen. Soon, they took to the streets again and carried out activities such as collecting cold clothes for the anti-Japanese soldiers at the front and mobilizing the masses to donate money for the anti-Japanese war. They also cooperated with other anti-Japanese and national salvation groups in Xiamen and went deep into Heshan, Hulishan and other places on the outskirts of Xiamen to dig trenches for the garrisons and participants. Citizens performed condolence performances, and soon became a force that cannot be ignored in Xiamen’s anti-Japanese and national salvation movement! The performances and activities of the "Xiaer Troupe" have greatly inspired the patriotic enthusiasm of the compatriots and improved the fighting spirit of the Xiamen garrison. However, it also aroused fear and hatred among the pro-Japanese faction of the Kuomintang. They instructed their mouthpiece "Xiamen Daily" to publish an article under the title "Descendants of Lenin" to viciously attack and abuse the "Xiamen Youth League", and even sent a few rogue students to carry out sabotage and trouble in an attempt to stifle this new generation. Anti-Japanese Propaganda Team. At the moment when the reactionary forces were making noise, our party promptly organized members to write articles through the supplement of "Star Daily" and gave a powerful counterattack, stemming the reactionary countercurrent of the pro-Japanese faction of the Kuomintang. In May 1938, the Japanese invaders landed from Heshan and launched an attack on Xiamen. The "Xiaer Tuan", together with various anti-Japanese and national salvation groups, raised donations to comfort the soldiers at the front, while monitoring the traitors to prevent them from giving signals to the Japanese army. At a young age, they did A lot of work. However, due to the continuous losses in the war, the "Xiaer Tuan" had to withdraw from the urban area and went deep into Xin'an, Gangwei, Tong'an, Shima, Zhangpu, Pinghe and other places to continue to carry out anti-Japanese and national salvation propaganda work.

Anti-Japanese Charity Performance Far From Home

After the fall of Xiamen, in order to win over overseas Chinese to support the motherland’s anti-Japanese war cause, the Central Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China decided to send the "Xiaer Regiment" to various places in Southeast Asia to carry out Fundraiser.

In late May, the "Xiaer Regiment", led by comrades such as Captain Hong Ling and Captain Chen Qingxu, walked from Zhangzhou to Guangzhou. Along the way, they traveled through mountains and rivers, eating and sleeping in the open air. Although life was very difficult, wherever they went, after settling in for a while, they always devoted themselves to intense publicity activities regardless of fatigue. Some wrote slogans, some gave speeches on the streets, and some went to schools to teach and sing anti-Japanese songs. It brought anti-Japanese vitality to many peaceful mountain villages. The masses called them "little heroes under fire." When the "Xiaer Troupe" arrived in Shantou in mid-June, it formally established a party branch, reorganized its organization, and established departments such as publicity and publishing, general affairs and life, drama and singing, sports and health, and decided to resume publishing the group's tabloid - "Xiaer Troupe" Steel Cannon". "Xiaer Group" arrived in Guangzhou in early August. At this time, the anti-Japanese national salvation movement in Guangzhou was in full swing. As soon as the "Xiaer Troupe" settled in, they immediately launched street propaganda. The members performed "Trilogy of Exile", "Song of the Guerrilla" and other anti-Japanese songs on the radio in the evening. He made a broadcast to the people of the city. At the end of August, on the eve of the "Xiaer League" going abroad, Comrade Deng Yingchao met with all the members and teachers at Guangzhou Convenient Hospital. Comrade Deng Yingchao said: "You are so ardent and patriotic at a young age. You are truly our national treasure." She also encouraged everyone to study and work hard, and kindly asked everyone to take care of themselves when going overseas. She also took a group photo with everyone before leaving.

Raising donations at a charity performance in Hong Kong

In late September, the "Xiaer Troupe" arrived in Hong Kong. When the compatriots in Hong Kong and Kowloon learned about it, they immediately became a sensation. In order to support the "Xiaer Troupe" charity performance for the Anti-Japanese War and national salvation, each ticket price was as high as ten yuan to several hundred Hong Kong dollars. Everyone still rushed to buy it, and the venue was full.

Despite all the restrictions imposed by the British Hong Kong authorities, at the end of the performance, the audience always burst out with revolutionary slogans such as "Down with Japanese imperialism!" "Japanese imperialism get out of China!" The "Xiaer Tuan" has been active in Hong Kong for nearly two months and has raised more than 15,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Raising donations in Vietnam

In mid-November, the members of the "Xiaer Troupe" boarded the "Great China" passenger ship with simple luggage. After four days of life at sea , arrived in Saigon, Vietnam. The passenger ship had not yet docked at the pier, and many patriotic overseas Chinese who were welcoming the "Xiaer Tuan" were already waiting there. As soon as they landed, they took the members of the "Xiaer Tuan" in cars to Xidi, adjacent to Saigon, and stayed at Jinan Middle School founded by overseas Chinese. Here, under the leadership of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the fundraising activities were carried out very smoothly. In the more than ten relief charity performances held by the Vietnam Branch of the "Nanyang Overseas Chinese Association for Relieving Refugees from the Motherland", all seats were packed. In addition to performing, they also went to overseas Chinese schools and factories in Xidi every day to carry out anti-Japanese and national salvation propaganda and teach and sing revolutionary songs. Soon, overseas Chinese also organized propaganda groups such as the "Overseas Chinese Children's Singing Troupe in Vietnam" and the "Tiedi Drama Society" to fight side by side with the "Xiaer Troupe". They also cooperated with overseas Chinese students to sell flowers on the streets, and the patriotic overseas Chinese all enthusiastically bought and donated generously. Many overseas Chinese students donated the pocket money given by their parents and made comfort bags, which were filled with daily necessities such as coins, soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, and were embroidered with words such as "Salute to the Chinese anti-Japanese soldiers!" "Regiment" brought back to the motherland. A young president of the Overseas Chinese Women's Association actually donated most of the valuable dowry and jewelry she was planning to use for her wedding to support the motherland's war of resistance.

Raising donations at a charity performance in Cambodia

Around New Year's Day in 1939, the "Xia'er Troupe" went to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and performed for more than ten days. They also received great hospitality from the local overseas Chinese. reception and raised a lot of donations and materials. On the eve of leaving Xidi, Vietnam, many overseas Chinese parents personally sent their children to request to join the "Xia Children's League" and proposed that the living expenses should be mailed by the parents month by month. But due to various reasons, I had to politely decline.

Returning triumphantly

Due to the urgent need for medicines on the front line of the Anti-Japanese War, in June 1939, the "Xiaer Troupe" changed its tour fundraising plan, with the deep affection of the patriotic overseas Chinese and the donations they donated. Five trucks of medicines, condolence bags, condolence letters, condolence money, etc. left Xidi, Vietnam in tears, arrived in Da Nang by train, and then arrived in Hanoi via Hue and Nam Dinh. After a few days of activities in Hanoi, Vietnam, he returned to his motherland, Nanning, Guangxi via Lang Son. In the latter half of the year, I came to Guilin City, the temporary capital of Guangxi Province (as the province was called at that time).

The Anti-Japanese War in Guilin

After arriving in Guilin, the leaders of the "Xiaer Tuan" promptly reported the situation of fundraising activities abroad to the Eighth Route Army Office in Guilin. Comrade Li Kenong and Comrade Xu Teli also met with all the members in Lijiacun.

After that, the troupe took Guilin as the center and went to airports, hospitals, and schools to carry out condolences and performance activities. A "Team of Friends of Wounded Soldiers" was organized to help the wounded soldiers write letters, sew and wash clothes, teach them to sing anti-Japanese songs, read and read, discuss current affairs, etc., which moved the wounded soldiers very much. Many people said on the spot that they would return to the front line to fight against the Japanese invaders as soon as they recovered from their injuries. When the Japanese army landed in Qinzhou, Guangxi and headed towards Liuzhou, the troupe formed a West Road work team and went deep into the forward positions. They and the soldiers shouted to the Japanese army in Japanese to undermine the enemy's morale. After the Battle of Kunlun Pass, they, together with the Xin'an Tour Group and the Seventh Anti-Xuan Group, waited in the recovered areas such as Wuming and Binyang to mobilize the people to return to the city to rebuild their homes.

Reason for dissolution

After the first anti-Japanese climax of the Kuomintang, the white terror in the Kuomintang-controlled areas became increasingly serious. In accordance with the Party's spirit of working in white areas, the "Xia'er Tuan" decided to co-establish the Huanghuagang Memorial School with General Wu Shi, President of the Fujian Association and Chief of Staff of the Fourth War Zone, in order to conceal themselves. Most of the Tuan members were sent to the school to study. After the "Southern Anhui Incident", the Kuomintang launched a second anti-Japanese upsurge, and the situation became even more tense. The safety of the "Xiaer Regiment" has been seriously threatened. According to the instructions of the Central Southern Bureau of the Communist Party of China, the "Xiaer Regiment" "It began to disperse. Some of the leaders were sent overseas, and some entered factories. Most of the troupe members were led by older troupe members to enroll in school, or transferred to other drama groups. The activities of the "Xia'er Tuan" were completely stopped. This was a thing of the past in 1941.