Left-Wing Cultural Dissemination in the Political Interstics of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression——— Take the Staging of Chongqing in the Fog as Example

Abstract: During the early War of Resistance,the United Front temporarily eased left-wing intellectuals'criticism of the Kuomintang (KMT).As the war entered a stalemate stage,this criticism resurged vigorously,fueled by the deteriorating living conditions in KMT-controlled areas and the regime's increasing authoritarianism.This shift was embodied in the transition of Anti-Japanese war drama from an “optimistic heroism” to a “gloomy and somber realism”.Song Zhidi's play,Chongqing in the Fog,emerged as a representative work of this new trend.The Chinese Communist Party (CCP),keenly aware of this ideological shift,paid close attention to and supported the play's rehearsal,which contributed to delays and complications for both its premiere and subsequent runs.Meanwhile,high-ranking KMT officials publicly endorsed another of Song's plays,which glorified “virtuous officials”,highlighting how theatre became a crucial cultural battleground in the CCP-KMT rivalry.Following the South Anhui Incident,left-wing dramatists exploited political interstices—created by tensions between the KMT central government,regional warlords,and internal KMT factions—to stage the play across various regions.This effort significantly boosted the regional drama movement and the dissemination of left-wing culture.The creation of Chongqing in the Fog reflected the evolving mentality of intellectual refugees during the war.The profound emotional resonance it evoked offers a valuable lens through which to observe wartime social ecology and popular psychology.Furthermore,the play contributed to shaping Chongqing's political image as the wartime capital,with its pervasive fog becoming a powerful symbol of the oppressive political climate under KMT rule.