How Pumpkin Seeds Won the War: Hua Tong’s Yan’an Seeds

No, really: pumpkin seeds are the reason Mao and the People’s Liberation Army won the civil war in 1949, and why the generations that followed pretty much rocked. Or so says Hua Tong’s Cultural Revolution-era short story “Yan’An Seeds.” It’s Communist propaganda, so…is it crap? Yes. But, as Lee puts it, it’s some of the best crap you’ll read. It’s also an invaluable lens on how Mao and the CCP used art and literature to shape the way people thought.