Guerrillas'Song—An Immortal Wartime Anthem

In 1937, Japanese imperialism extended its claws to Shanghai. The Battle of Shanghai lasted for three months, with warplanes roaring overhead and gunfire echoing through the narrow alleyways. At 34, He Luting was restless with anxiety. Having participated in the “Guangzhou Uprising” and long been active in Shanghai’s left-wing cultural front, he was eager to throw himself into the anti-invasion movement. Upon learning that the Shanghai Cultural Salvation Association had formed a national salvation drama troupe under the guidance of the Communist Party of China, he resolutely joined.

Soon after, Shanghai’s cultural community organized anti-Japanese-invasion theatrical troupes that traveled across the country, mobilizing resistance through art. At the end of 1937, He Luting and members of the first team of the salvation drama troupe, such as Xia Yan and Cui Wei, arrived at the front line in Shanxi. At the Eighth Route Army office on the outskirts of Linfen, they were warmly received by Peng Xuefeng, then Major General and Director of the Staff Department at Eighth Route Army Headquarters, who also headed the Shanxi liaison office. Peng emphasized the urgent need for outstanding literary and artistic works to boost the nation's morale in the war of resistance. In addition to providing a detailed introduction to the basic situation of the resistance in Shanxi and nationwide, Peng specifically shared materials on the guerrilla warfare of the communist army.

Confronted with these documents steeped in blood and fire, He felt as if a new world had unfolded before his eyes. He was deeply moved by the bravery and intelligence of the Eighth Route Army’s commanders and soldiers. After carefully listening to reports by Mao Zedong, Zhu De and others, he strongly agreed with the Communist Party leaders' view that to thoroughly defeat the Japanese aggressors, it was necessary to employ not only conventional warfare but also mobile and guerrilla warfare.

In the dense forests, on the high hills, by the green fields and rivers, our guerrilla fighters are everywhere...The vivid reports of Eighth Route Army commanders brought He to battlefields where guerrilla heroes fought bravely against the enemy. He grew so excited that he recalled the "rat-a-tat" sound of anti-aircraft machine guns he once heard in an air-raid shelter—wasn't this the most wonderful rhythm of all?

At the time, the Eighth Route Army faced harsh conditions, with bullets in short supply. Soldiers cherished their munitions, trained hard in marksmanship, and developed the “Three Don’ts” principle: don’t shoot if you can’t aim accurately, don’t shoot if the enemy is too far away, don’t shoot if the target isn’t clear. When composing, He artistically translated this principle into the lyrics: "We are all sharpshooters; every bullet takes down an enemy." The lines "If we lack food or clothing, the enemy will deliver them to us; if we lack rifles or artillery, the enemy will make them for us" vividly depicted how the Eighth Route Army often captured supplies and equipment from Japanese and puppet forces on the battlefield. At the newly established artillery regiment of the Eighth Route Army headquarters, soldiers proudly showed He the cannons they had seized. “These cannons were all captured from the Japanese, and that's how we formed our artillery regiment,” they boasted. Their spirited words left a deep impression on He. In an air-raid shelter, he completed the composition in about a month.

Although the melody of "Guerrillas' Song" drew inspiration from the British "Grenadier March," it emerged as a completely new piece of music. The tune is lively, agile, and playful, with a resilient snare drum rhythm running throughout, creating a distinct musical imagery. The lyrics vividly depict scenes from the guerrilla warfare front.

On January 6, 1938, bitter winds still swept across the Taihang Mountains, but the atmosphere at the senior cadres meeting of the Eighth Route Army headquarters in Hongtong County, Linfen, Shanxi, was fervent. Conducting with sweeping gestures, He led the troupe in a passionate performance of “Guerrillas' Song”. With no instruments available, dramatist Ouyang Shanzun whistled loudly in accompaniment. Many senior commanders of the Eighth Route Army were present. Zhu De clasped He’s hands tightly and said: “This is exactly the kind of song our soldiers need! You must hurry and teach it to all the units!”

In the days that followed, He and the troupe worked hard yet joyfully, rushing from one unit to another. Once the song began to spread, some units even dispatched riders on horseback to copy the sheet music and bring it back for study. Many soldiers willingly walked over 10 li (about five kilometers) just to copy the score. They copied it into small notebooks they carried, pulling them out to practice singing whenever they had a spare moment. The song spread with remarkable speed. A common scene emerged: when He conducted the troupe in singing, he would wave his hand, and the soldiers in the audience would instantly join in enthusiastically. Sometimes, when He arrived to teach a unit, he found that they already knew the song. He jokingly referred to himself as "firing a belated shot."

Alongside the footsteps of the soldiers’ resistance, “Guerrillas' Song” quickly spread across North China. In the Jin-Cha-Ji base area, a foreign doctor often hummed it while marching—he was Norman Bethune. Even in the occupied areas, people secretly passed on the song.

In just half a year, “Guerrillas' Song” had swept the entire country.

One summer evening in 1943, at Wangjiaping beneath Qingliang Mountain on the north bank of the Yanhe River, Zhou Yang accompanied He to meet Mao Zedong. Mao praised his fellow townsman: “Your ‘Guerrilla Song’ is very well written! You have done a good deed for the people, and the people will not forget you.”

In 1964, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Zhou Enlai proposed and oversaw the grand music-and-dance epic “The East Is Red”. It included a segment called “The Guerrilla Dance”, adapted from “Guerrillas' Song”, which became one of the most artistically distinctive pieces in the performance. In 1973, when Premier Zhou Enlai returned to Yan’an to visit the Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Hall, he specifically suggested: “A photo of the score of ‘Guerrillas' Song’ should be hung here.”

Since the founding of New China, “Guerrillas' Song” has remained a staple in military singing activities, repeatedly recommended by the former General Political Department to the entire army. In August 2015, it was selected in an online poll organized by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television as one of the “Top 10 Favorite Anti-Japanese War Songs.” Today, this rousing march that once inspired the people and army to fight bravely against Japanese invaders has become an enduring revolutionary classic, motivating generations of Chinese sons and daughters to maintain their fighting spirit and firm faith, and to “fight to the end” for victory.

By Chen Zonghua, Associate Dean of the School of Henan Drama, Henan University

Translated by Xiong Jian