Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945

by Rana Mitter

In later years, Mao never wished to commemorate those who had gone to Chongqing, only those (rather fewer) who had traveled to the Communist headquarters at Yan’an. That situation finally changed after Mao’s death. In a 1991 interview, former refugee Yan Yangchu declared, referring to the transfer of the factories: “This was Chinese industry’s Dunkirk,” and Xu Ying, a former journalist for Da gongbao, declared that “there was no difference between our Dunkirk and the British one—ours may have been worse.”23 Another historical comparison also stands out. Both the Long March and the move upriver were retreats in the face of a stronger enemy. But the Long March was carried out by a party, the Communists, that would finally come to rule all China, and as a result, their retreat became a world-famous legend. The equally wrenching retreat to Chongqing, associated with Chiang Kai-shek, was wiped out of the official memory.