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This oil painting “Yi Ethnic Group Alliance with the Red Army” was created by the Chinese painter Shen Yaoyi in 2010.
It depicts the moment in 1935 when Yedan the Junior, the chieftain of a Yi clan in Mianning County, southwest of Sichuan Province, entered into an alliance with the Red Army General Liu Bocheng.
That year, the Chinese Red Army was pushing north to resist Japanese invaders.
The troops on the historic Long March found themselves surrounded by enemy forces.
They needed to pass through Yi areas and pushed toward the Dadu River in Sichuan Province.
Historically, the Yi people never allowed ethnic Han troops to enter their territory.
When the Red Army first entered the Yi community in the Daliang Mountain area, some Yi people tried to intervene.
The Red Army strictly observed discipline, firmly implemented the Chinese Communist Party’s policy for minority groups, and resolutely followed a “no shooting” order.
Inspired by the Red Army’s policies and friendly attitude, the Yi people then welcomed them into the village.
Helped by the Yis and the chieftain, the Red Army troops passed through Yi areas without a hitch and captured the Luding Bridge as they crossed the Dadu River.
Supported by the Red Army, the Yi people formed revolutionary troops and many young people joined.
The Yi ethnic group alliance with the Red Army was the first example of the CPC's policy on minority groups put into practice.
At the same time, it pushed the closed Liangshan Yi ethnic group to open its community to the outside world.
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