Red Star Over China and the British Left Book Club: A Historical Analysis

The publication of the <em>Red Star Over China</em> can be regarded as a significant event in the history of the Chinese revolution. It successfully broke through the Kuomintang's news blockade on the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Soviet Area, presenting the realities of the anti-Japanese revolutionary base to the world. This article reviews the history of the leftist reading clubs in the 1930s, an important stronghold for British leftist intellectuals, and analyzes the deep connections between the <em>Red Star Over China</em> and this club. It reveals the deeper reasons for the success of the <em>Red Star Over China</em>. For the first, affected by the Great Depression in the 1930s, the labor movement flourished. Secondly, the disappointment of intellectuals with the authorities due to Britain's appeasement policies, leads to a collective leftward shift. Thirdly, inspired by the Soviet model, British intellectuals gradually came to realize that only communism could replace capitalism. Finally, the article discusses the unjust treatment Snow received after World War II and his dismal circumstances, yet emphasizes that the Chinese people have never forgotten this media figure who made outstanding contributions to the Chinese revolution.