Hero Qiu Shaoyun burned to death in order to not reveal the positions of fellow soldiers engaging in a surprise attack during the Korean War.

 

In recent years, a wave of historical nihilism has swept China. With the pretext of such academic research purposes as criticism, skepticism and verification, this trend of thought warps the history of the Chinese revolution and New China, defaming leaders, founders of the nation as well as revolutionary martyrs.

Many Chinese war heroes have become targets of sarcastic attacks, including Liu Hulan (1932-47), who was beheaded by Kuomintang soldiers for refusing to renounce her allegiance to the Communist Party of China; Dong Cunrui (1929-48), who blew himself up to destroy a KMT bunker during the Chinese Civil War, and Qiu Shaoyun (1931-52), who burned to death in order not to reveal the positions of fellow soldiers engaging in a surprise attack during the Korean War.

Historical nihilists claim that their heroic deeds are exaggerated or even fabricated. Moreover, some regard their fearless sacrifice as contrary to human nature and physiology. I think this attitude is shameful.
 

These nihilists question the veracity of stories about patriotic heroes and the history of the Chinese revolution, while they speak highly of the people who hindered the progress of China, such as the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) and Yuan Shikai (1859-1916). As far as I'm concerned, such a modus operandi of calling evil good is unthinkable.

From the perspective of communication studies, negative information spreads faster and wider. Well aware of this, believers of historical nihilism resort to fragmented and false historical materials, erroneous deductions, and nonsensical reasoning in an attempt to defame heroes and discredit those heroic images portrayed in the mainstream media.
 

"To denounce one's past is to doom one's present, and when one's present is doomed, one's future is ruined." Revolutionary heroes are outstanding figures who played critical roles in the Chinese revolution and the development of the CPC, forming the backbone of Chinese ethos. Thus, to deny heroes is to deny the history and the ethos of the nation. However, the advocates of historical nihilism rack their brains to discourage people from paying homage to heroes. Such a practice, in essence, destroys the beliefs of the nation, which we should be vigilant against.
 

Any nation at any time in history has its own heroic figures who play an active role in advancing the development of history. Without those heroes who sacrificed for national prosperity and independence, the people would have undergone a much more winding course and suffered more miseries.
 

As a consequence, a nation that adores heroes will boast eternal vitality and confidence. Conversely, a nation that disrespects and even discredits heroes will lack confidence, attempt to mask its sense of inferiority with arrogance and tend to bow to external forces when in peril.
 

A spirit of ceaseless improvement, self-discipline and social commitment has been manifested throughout the Chinese history, and heroes have played an exemplary role in this respect. Their excellent ethos has been carried on for thousands of years, and cannot be defamed by axe-grinders at will. To fight against historical nihilism, it is important to reveal its true intentions and rebuild Chinese beliefs through reverence for heroes.

 

Ou Qinghua is a professor from Jiaying University in Guangdong Province.