Shanghai unveils 1936 English report on Chairman Mao and other rare archives
Visitors watch the newly released archives at the Shanghai Archives.
Shanghai released a new batch of historical archives to the public on Friday, including a rare 1936 English-language interview with Chairman Mao Zedong.
The Shanghai Archives unveiled its 38th and 39th batches of declassified files, coinciding with International Archives Day on June 9.
They include over 184,000 documents from 40 local organizations, spanning from 1939 to 2000. For the first time, 12 collections are now open to the public.
The archives also feature 26 rare records, including letters, photographs, and personal accounts from foreign journalists, doctors, and aid workers, who joined the Chinese resistance during World War II.
Edgar Snow's interview with Chairman Mao Zedong on Millard's Review
One of the most remarkable highlights is an article from the Millard's Review, featuring an exclusive interview with Chairman Mao by American journalist Edgar Snow.
Published in November 1936, the interview broke a major media barrier by offering the West a direct view into the Communist Party of China's resistance against Japanese invasion.
Mao called for national unity and cooperation with the Kuomintang to defend China, a stance that helped shape public opinion overseas.
The newly released documents also include a conversation between Mao and American writer Agnes Smedley discussing the importance of building a united front.
A photograph captures Canadian doctor Norman Bethune eating noodles aboard a civilian boat and his work report (left).
Another standout is a war report by Israel Epstein titled "Running the Blockade into China," which describes his journey across enemy lines to support the Chinese cause.
More records tell the story of Canadian doctor Norman Bethune, who treated soldiers near the front lines before dying of infection in 1939, and New Zealander Rewi Alley, who helped build thousands of industrial cooperatives to supply the Chinese military and provide jobs to refugees.
"These documents provide powerful examples of international solidarity during China's most difficult times," said Xu Weiwan, curator of the archives
Rewi Alley's book, Two Years of Indusco, chronicles the development of the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives movement during wartime.
Besides wartime materials, the new files document Shanghai's rapid modernization in the late 20th century.
They include records of major infrastructure projects like the Yan'an Road E. Tunnel, the Nanpu Bridge, and the city's first metro line.
Also featured are plans for economic reform zones and the evolution of the city's textile industry in the 1980s, once its main economic pillar.
Archives from major sports events like the first East Asian Games in 1993 and the Eighth National Games in 1997 reveal how these competitions helped develop Shanghai's sports facilities and global image.
The archive release is part of a citywide celebration that runs through June 13 for International Archives Day, with 82 public events, including exhibitions, guided city walks, and a short video series titled "Listening to Archives: Urban Renewal".
In 1942, Shen Hong and Li Qitao created a fake engagement certificate to protect Shanghai's underground student movement.
