Episode Summary
Xia Yan gets a new mission in Chongqing to win the "cultural war" by targeting the powerful but cowardly Pan Gongzhan. While Xia Yan uses clever social tactics to put Pan on edge, Lin Boqu uses a charm offensive, impressing KMT officials with simple, high-quality goods from Yan'an.
Spoiler Alert
The Cultural War in Chongqing
A New Mission for Xia Yan
Things are looking grim in Chongqing. Everyone is down about the fall of Guilin. You can see it on the faces of Xia Yan and An E. But Zhou Enlai shows up. He gives them a much-needed pep talk. He reminds them they saved a lot of important people before the city fell. That was a huge win. He tells them they need to get their heads back in the game. There is still important work to do.
So, Zhou Enlai gives Xia Yan a new assignment. He needs to go see a man named Pan Gongzhan. This Pan guy is a big deal in Chongqing. A cultural war is brewing in the city. There are three different factions fighting for control. Zhou Enlai wants Xia Yan to use his skills. He needs to secure a voice for their side in this fight.
Xia Yan gets right on it. He starts digging into the backgrounds of powerful people in the local culture department. He focuses on Pan Gongzhan. He learns Pan is a slippery character. The man is known for doing shady things behind the scenes. Xia Yan knows he has to be smart about this. He needs to pull together any support he can find to win control of public opinion.
An Awkward Meeting
Guo Moruo is also in Chongqing. He and Xia Yan are thrilled to see each other. Xia Yan helped Guo Moruo out in the past. Now, Guo Moruo is established in the city and can help Xia Yan get started.
The next day, Xia Yan goes to meet Pan Gongzhan. Pan spots him coming from his car window. He immediately tells the front gate guard not to let Xia Yan in. The guard had just told Xia Yan that Pan arrived. Now he's being shut out. Xia Yan figures it out pretty quickly. Pan used to be a bookstore shareholder in Guilin. He even helped their cause back then. But the political situation is changing. Pan is clearly trying to cut ties.
Xia Yan plays it cool. He doesn't make a scene. He just says he was stopping by to visit. He tells the guard he won't bother Pan again. This move makes Pan nervous. Pan is in charge of cultural affairs. He can't afford to have Xia Yan causing problems for him. So he quickly changes his strategy. He comes out, acts friendly, and personally walks Xia Yan out of the building.
This little escort gets noticed. A rival from the KMT party sees them together. This guy already has a grudge against Xia Yan from their time in Guilin. But he's new to Chongqing and doesn't have Pan's rank. Pan also doesn't like the guy. So he just ignores him.
Winning Hearts and Minds
The propaganda work from Yan'an hasn't stopped. Zhou Enlai puts Lin Boqu in charge of the cultural front in Chongqing.
Lin Boqu's strategy is a bit different. He invites all the city's cultural figures for tea. Comrades visiting from Yan'an bring gifts. These aren't fancy presents. They are rural products. They have high-quality matches. They bring big, red dates and well-made cloth. They hand these out to the KMT members at the party. The KMT guys hear that Yan'an is prosperous and self-sufficient. They start to see Yan'an in a new light.
