Lin Hui is an associate professor with Communication University of China (CUC), in Beijing. She is also executive director of the university's center for oral history. In 2015, she proposed and organized China International Oral History Week, which has been held annually for the past 10 years. This year, the event was renamed China International Oral History Exhibition.
During the past decade, the event has involved participants from more than 20 countries or regions, and it has provided a platform for displays and exchanges involving more than 100 oral-history projects, each focusing on the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The year 2010 was a crucial turning point in Lin's career. That year, a documentary, titled My War of Resistance, caught the public's attention. Why? The documentary featured the oral accounts of nearly 400 witnesses of the war, and veterans, with an average age of more than 80, recounted their experiences in simple, yet sincere, language. Lin was deeply moved by the documentary. She joined the documentary's production team that year so she could participate in its future projects.
After she joined the team, Lin quickly immersed herself in efforts to research and collect oral accounts of the War of Resistance. She learned the team began interviewing veterans of the war in 2008. It has continued to document oral accounts of the war. The content presented in the documentary was just the tip of the iceberg of the material been recorded.
In 2012, CUC established a center for oral history on its campus. "As large amounts of materials, containing oral accounts of the war, were moved to the university, we were able to integrate oral history with academic research in a more thorough way," recalls Lin. Since its establishment, the center has collected and organized videos of interviews, and numerous other materials, from tens of thousands of participants.
"Oral histories not only supplement history, they also respect and preserve individual memories," Lin says. In 2016, the center edited and published a book, which contained the memories of 21 War of Resistance witnesses and their families. The accounts showcased the diverse lives of ordinary people during the war.
In November 2024, the center, with another institution, co-hosted a special, live broadcast (an oral-history project) on the War of Resistance. "Such initiatives not only allow the public to more intuitively understand the history of the war, but also spark people's interest in and attention to oral history," Lin says. As the influence of such efforts has expanded, many institutions and individuals, across the country, have begun conducting oral-history projects.
In recent years, CUC has offered a study-tour course, titled "Reviewing History: Venues and Oral Accounts," to undergraduate students. As lead teacher of the course, Lin has led students in conducting field research in Nanjing (in East China's Jiangsu Province), Harbin (in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province) and other places associated with the War of Resistance.
"To understand modern Chinese history, the memory of the War of Resistance is a necessary lesson. By combining the historical context with the practical venues and oral accounts, students' understanding of the war can become more three-dimensional, and concrete," Lin explains. "Every year, after the course, some students contact me to become ‘oral-history volunteers,' which is very rewarding feedback for me," she adds.
Documenting witnesses' accounts of the war is crucial, Lin says. "Most witnesses of the War of Resistance are already advanced in age, and a great deal of unrecorded individual memories are fading away with their passing," Lin explains. She is calling on influential universities and/or organizations to collaborate with local governments in conducting comprehensive surveys, and in compiling comprehensive records, of surviving veterans.
Cultivation of professional talents is also crucial, especially talents who can preserve and organize oral-history materials. To do this job well, one must possess various capabilities, including meticulous text-processing skills, solid historical literacy and rigorous research skills.
When studying oral accounts of the War of Resistance, an increasing number of women have made unique contributions in expanding research perspectives, research methods and communication channels. "The women have not only recorded the bravery of women soldiers, they have also focused on women's roles in supporting their families during the war. Women researchers often find it easier to establish emotional connections, and trust, with interviewees, especially when dealing with women, effectively reducing their wariness," Lin explains.
Lin has great expectations of, and encouragement for, young women aspiring to engage in oral history. "This is a long-distance race, which requires knowledge, endurance and courage. There are many outstanding oral-history practitioners, both at home and abroad, who have set examples for us," she says. Lin hopes more young women will become involved in documenting oral history, so women can play their roles in "recording the past for the future." Such efforts will ensure the memories of the War of Resistance never fade, and the "red genes" are passed down from generation to generation.
Photos from Interviewee
(Women of China English Monthly September 2025)
Editor: Wang Shasha
