"Red Dawn" is a frequent topic on the military board of the BBS, and the reason lies in its "maverick" route selection and the "non-mainstream" nature of its value system. But no matter how everyone on LK praises or criticizes this book, first of all, it is a popular novel, and it is a web novel serialized on a specialized literature website.

Not discussing how the book's results are, how its influence is, or how large its audience is; nor is it easy to make a final conclusion on whether its stance is in the high court or the martial world, whether it is in the first thirty years or the last thirty years, or even in the various shooting ranges set up by everyone. However, under the old-fashioned story and melodramatic plot described and narrated by the author—a certain youth travels back to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, shedding his hot blood to save the people from fire and water and save the country from crisis—the unique innovation is the "non-mainstream" values and the "maverick" red route in web literature that everyone argues endlessly about.

From the above, the conclusion is: This is a popular web novel that promotes the main melody.

At the same time, this is also the greatest symbolic significance of this book.

The so-called main melody, apart from the routine business and due meaning of the official media, has been going from bad to worse in terms of the literary and artistic front since the last thirty years. Under the impact of Western culture, various dregs have floated up, and all kinds of weirdos have taken the stage. And the main melody or value system, struggling to resist external impacts, is already powerless, let alone exporting anything.

The current general reality is the darkness before dawn. Whether official or folk, whether regarding official media channels or the literary and artistic field, most of us are angry at their lack of struggle. Even as a one-party centralized regime, holding the national propaganda machine in hand, we are not even mainly criticizing its public opinion control and news censorship, but mourning its misfortune, sighing "How can the Central Propaganda Department be a combat power of five," to such an extent!

Official Media Front: Basically a team wipe. Under the struggle, it's not that I don't understand, it's that the world changes too fast.

Central Propaganda Department—Combat power of five (scum); CCTV—CCAV; People's Daily, etc.—the mouthpiece of the Party Bagu and evil dictatorial forces and the trumpeter of lies; Local party newspapers and journals—sold by the catty; Party and government education courses at all levels—failed brainwashing tools.

Literary and Artistic Front: Mud and sand are washed down together, demons dance wildly; invincible mouth cannons, shallow and vulgar.

Urban News Channels—Review society with the conscience of ratings, supervise the government with the morality of advertisers; Readers, Zhiyin, etc.—in the tide of reverse nationalism, shouting for human rights and freedom, cherishing the romanticism of the Republic of China.

Essay Monthlies, etc.—Various clean streams, thinking deeply with the depth of a vegetable market, typing words with fifth-grade Chinese.

Movies and TV Dramas—The tens of billions in box office market has at least promoted the hardware of cinemas; domestic TV dramas have at least promoted the popularization of Mandarin.

Variety Entertainment, etc.—When competing with foreign peers on the lower limit, the clumsy imitation of local programs can be somewhat self-consoling.

With such a situation, there are certainly many reasons, and to discuss and refute them would probably take a book. But fundamentally, judging by the main melody we want to publicize and export, and our values, is the correct principle. Leaving aside high or low, right or wrong, if you don't even believe it yourself, what are you exporting?

1. On Contradiction, the universality and particularity of contradiction. The latest theoretical exposition of On Contradiction by the official is the primary contradiction in the current social period—the contradiction between backward productive forces and the people's material and cultural needs. This contradiction is even more prominent in the literary and propaganda fields: First, the limitations of the productive forces and social material basis at the current stage directly affect the output of spiritual and cultural products.

Secondly, the output and consumption of spiritual and cultural products simultaneously have particularities such as indirectness, lag, and subjectivity.

2. The two sides of things, connection, and the viewpoint of development. The current society is developing rapidly, and productive forces are improving rapidly, but a diametrically opposite phenomenon appears in the literary and propaganda field: On the one hand, the leapfrog high-speed development of productive forces is the premise and foundation for meeting material and cultural needs.

On the other hand, the rapidly growing productive forces and material basis have a violent impact and influence on demand orientation.

The Paean of the Main Melody (1) Our Troops Face the Sun

If we don't talk about ideology and only look at objective facts. The first thirty years may be relatively unfamiliar to the current mainstream LKERs, but one does not necessarily have to experience it personally. Chatting with elders, checking some materials, and feeling the works, it is not difficult to find: mainly in terms of movies (the popularity of television was in the eighties), as the fighter jet of the main melody, war-themed film and television works have always been a sharp weapon for promoting the main melody. Just think of the image of the King's Division (US Army). And the war-themed films of the fifties and sixties, such as the familiar "Tunnel Warfare," "Mine Warfare," "Guerrilla on the Plain," "Surprise Attack," "Little Soldier Zhang Ga," "Shangganling," "Fighting North and South," "Decisive Engagement," and various other "Wars," are not just bluffing names, but indeed blockbusters that the masses love to see and hear. And the glorious image of the PLA at that time was much higher than that of the current King's Division.

The above is the objective influence. If we want to talk about literary and artistic standards, I won't say much, go see for yourself before speaking. Compared to a look of disdain and spouting a sentence: "It's all fake, big, and empty, brainwashed SX." It's better to search for resources casually—compared to the huge volume of other blockbusters, these old films are petite and lovely, not embarrassing the hard drive and bandwidth at all. Personally speaking fairly, saying stepping on Hollywood and exploding the Little Gold Man is launching a satellite (exaggerating), but completely abusing the so-called domestic blockbusters that can't even tell logic and stories smoothly is no pressure. As for the specific film theory and artistic expression techniques, I am not a relevant major and dare not talk presumptuously, but evaluating with "It's all fake, big, and empty, brainwashed SX" can only be said to be worrying about IQ.

Another thing closely related to movies is songs. In that era, there were no record companies and no talent shows, but there were quite a few singers and stars. Songs are also the main position of the main melody, and film soundtracks as a sub-category often sweep the country with the popularity of a movie. What impressed me the most was "My Motherland"—the interlude of the movie "Shangganling." Of course, I didn't feel it in the cinema. Once watching the Tenth Screening Room, when this scene was played with the interlude, the corners of my eyes were quite moist. And there are many other movie theme songs and interludes that became popular all over the country. If you are interested, you can BAIDU it.

Regarding literature, involving the first thirty years, my personal feeling is that what I have contacted the most seems to be scar literature and native soil literature. There are many controversies, and most of them were created later, so I will put them aside. As for the so-called model operas, the "reactionary" typical in literature and art, I have some understanding. They are catchy and seem to have high artistic achievements.

From the above, in today's view, the literary and artistic field in the first thirty years, which was so suppressed, autocratic, brutal, and evil, even if it didn't reach the level of a hundred flowers blooming, saying it was full of vitality is definitely modest. Let alone in the propaganda field, moving to make red flags fly all over the world, moving to export revolution.

(2) Dear, Big Power Dream Oh

After reviewing the past, let's talk about some light in the darkness of the present. LKERs should mostly have some understanding of "That Year That Rabbit Those Things." This comic is also quite controversial. Of course, compared to "Red Dawn," the influence is greater, but the controversy is smaller. There are many reasons when summarized, but fundamentally, I think it lies in the degree of its main melody and the depth of its value system.

Without comparing artistic quality, there is no distinction between high and low. Literary and artistic works of different degrees and depths correspond to different audiences and play different roles. This is also the reason for the controversy regarding "That Rabbit." Readers who love reading comics probably rarely read "Selected Works of Mao," and military history otaku who like to study original historical materials cannot have excessive demands on comics.

But the greatest light of "That Rabbit" lies in demonstrating an exciting and surprising artistic form of the main melody, and it has achieved great success and influence. Comics, as an artistic form that people love to see and hear and has strong adaptability, involve many fields, political current affairs, science and education propaganda, serialized narratives, advertising illustrations, and so on. Patriotic-themed story comics cannot be said to be unprecedented, but from the perspective of infectiousness and audience, "That Rabbit" deserves the evaluation of exciting and surprising.

From the objective environment, the appearance and success of "That Rabbit" have a certain inevitability. As the main body of the comic audience—the post-80s and 90s, anime is the childhood and youth memory accompanying their growth. And the combination of simple patriotic feelings with it, the appearance and success of "That Rabbit" is an inevitability.

From the above, the main melody does not naturally have the labels of rigid, hollow, and serious. The main melody can also be very trendy and very young. Even comics, which carry half of the H culture, can serve as the position and tool of the main melody. What else can stop the arrival of dawn and the high-spirited paean?

(3) Proletarians of the World, Unite

Returning to "Red Dawn," let's not discuss its class line dispute—contradictions between ourselves and the enemy are never resolved by mouth cannons. As a popular web novel promoting main melody values, I dare not say it is unique in the field of web literature, but at least its theoretical depth and artistic quality are unprecedented. Although limited by its subject matter and the author's personal factors, the expression and transmission of values are somewhat stiff and straightforward, affecting the reading experience and literary quality as a literary work. However, as an attempt of a pioneering work, it can be completely understood and tolerated.

The innovation and symbolic significance of "Red Dawn" compared to traditional artistic forms in the past need no further explanation, which can be fully explained by the degree of controversy. Compared to the comic form of "That Rabbit," "Red Dawn" is much higher in the integrity of values, theoretical depth, and plasticity. One is simple patriotism, and the other is a scientific worldview and methodology. To fight against the complete Western value system, relying on a kind of simple enthusiasm is definitely not enough; it can only serve as a supplement and extension. The confrontation between value systems and social trends of thought is not a gentle exchange and discussion, but a bloody life-and-death struggle, a struggle of you die and I live, a demise or the end of universal values.

The superiority or inferiority of values is not determined by sitting and talking or acting spontaneously. It relies on a powerful propaganda machine, on a louder voice and more discourse power. And materialism tells us that without a material basis, all thoughts, viewpoints, literature, and art are empty talk. Similarly, as long as there is a powerful and rich material basis, all thoughts, viewpoints, literature, and art will inevitably prosper.

"Red Dawn" itself reveals this point—such a "maverick," such a "non-mainstream" web novel.

What is even more noteworthy is the value system expressed and conveyed in "Red Dawn"—the core foundation composed of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, the reality essence described by political economy, and the action program guided by scientific socialism.

It seems like playing the same old tune, with nothing good to praise, but the time before dawn is always the darkest moment. The spark has already appeared, why not wait quietly for the high-spirited paean and the rising of the sun.