Ink of Blood / Written by Hung Chang-tai

**Selected as a ★Outstanding Academic Title ★ by Choice, American Library Association** During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, cultural figures utilized popular cultural forms such as drama, comics, and newspapers to promote patriotism and resistance, thoroughly transforming China's popular culture. They adapted the popular culture that originated in cities into propaganda tools for the vast countryside, playing a pivotal role in uniting the populace and defeating the enemy. Concurrently, the Communist Party employed artistic forms like folk songs, *yangge* opera, and storytelling to cultivate a new "mass culture" for anti-Japanese propaganda, undermining the Nationalist regime, and glorifying the revolutionary base areas. Professor Hung Chang-tai's detailed and rich primary sources and interviews deeply reveal the promotion and influence of political propaganda culture during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. He points out that the politicization and ruralization of popular culture not only played a crucial role in the war but also helped the Communist Party win the civil war, and has continued to influence the historical trajectory of China. Full Title: Ink of Blood: The War of Resistance and Popular Culture, 1937–1945 Author: Hung Chang-tai. Translated by Mak Wai-han ISBN: 978-988-237-368-6 Binding: Paperback Language: Traditional Chinese Pages: 480 Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm **About the Author** **Hung Chang-tai** University Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MA and PhD in History from Harvard University. His research focuses on modern Chinese cultural history, political space, and folk culture. His English books include *Going to the People: Chinese Intellectuals and Folk Literature, 1918-1937*, *War and Popular Culture: Resistance in Modern China, 1937–1945*, *Mao’s New World: Political Culture in the Early People’s Republic*, and *Politics of Control: Creating Red Culture in the Early People’s Republic of China*. His Chinese books include 《新文化史與中國政治》 (*New Cultural History and Chinese Politics*) and 《地標:北京的空間政治》 (*Landmarks: The Spatial Politics of Beijing*). **About the Translator** **Mak Wai-han** Holds a BA in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an MA in Public Communication from Boston University. She translated Hung Chang-tai's *Mao’s New World: Political Culture in the Early People’s Republic*. **Endorsements** In this meticulously researched and richly illustrated work, Hung Chang-tai argues that the War of Resistance sparked the most significant cultural movement in modern Chinese history, profoundly altering the spiritual landscape of rural China. Hung contends that this cultural battle led to the "ruralization" of Chinese culture, resulting in "a crucial transformation in the consciousness of the Chinese people." —**The American Historical Review** Hung's sources are both diverse and exhaustive. He delves into modern drama, comics, and newspapers, as well as *gushu*, *kuaiban*, woodblock prints, New Year pictures, children's songs, and folk tunes. He is virtually swimming alone in this ocean. Hung's research is unique on the subject of "going to the people." —**The Journal of Asian Studies** The Sino-Japanese War was a period of hardship and suffering, and Western scholars have conducted little research on the intellectual and cultural history of this war, often viewing this period merely as a prelude or interlude to the Communist revolution. Hung Chang-tai's book is innovative and timely. —**Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies** Hung Chang-tai has written a comprehensive, insightful, and pioneering book. By analyzing major sources such as comics, popular drama, and newspapers, he argues that China's political culture underwent fundamental changes during the Sino-Japanese War. —**The China Quarterly** Hung Chang-tai's keen understanding of Western social and cultural theory enables him to provide deep interpretations of wartime popular culture. His rigorous methodology, which prioritizes observation before theorizing, prevents his research from falling into the theoretical traps of Western "postmodernism." Each chapter of this book demonstrates Hung's admirable command of primary materials. —**Journal of Asian and African Studies**