Back to 1942, a film based on Liu Zhenyun's investigative novel about the famine that killed about 3 million people in Henan province has performed very well at the box office, drawing praise from people from all walks of life. A survey shows that up to 93.8 percent of netizens consider the movie "excellent and beyond expectation". The film, though artistically modified, has reproduced the China of the early 1940s, and showed how important China's rejuvenation is, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:
Seventy years ago, foreign invasion, a corrupt government, heavy tax and a severe drought combined to wreak havoc in Henan, killing about 3 million. Back to 1942 gives the audience an opportunity to acquire a more intuitive understanding of the catastrophe that devastated China in 1942 and realize how trivial the death of an individual was in a country where people could barely get any food.
Today China, as the world's second largest economy with a population of more than 1.3 billion, is a country where people have ample food and live with dignity. And it is moving on the road to national rejuvenation, though it still faces many a social problem, conflict and difficulty.
Reviewing what our forefathers suffered in times such as the famine of 1942 will remind us to be grateful to life. Living with the family with dignity is the source of one of the greatest happiness for an individual. But we should not forget the blood and tears that our forefathers shed to ensure that we lived in relative safety, security and abundance.
Besides, a nation that forgets its history is hopeless. The more we get to know about China's contemporary history through books, exhibitions, other historical materials and movies, and look forward to the "Chinese dream", the more clearly we will see the need to use history as a mirror and work harder to make life better for the next generations.
We are closer than any time in history to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, an objective that has been passed down to us by our forefathers. Therefore, we must work together for and devote ourselves to the cause of the nation.
Source: Chinadaily.com
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