In today’s look at Language and Identity, we investigate the intriguing story of a New Zealander who played a large part in China’s most volatile period of history.
Rewi Alley lived in China for 60 years, from 1927 until his death in 1987.
And, during that time, he famously coined the phrase “Gung ho”.
In 1997, to mark the centenary of his birth, the Great Hall of the People in Beijing was opened in Rewi Alley’s honour for a banquet and speeches. And, his portrait hangs in the country’s National Gallery.
But who was this renowned “Friend of China”? And how did he survive the Japanese occupation, civil war, the Cultural Revolution?
Adam Connors first speaks with University of Canterbury academic Dr Anne-Marie Brady about the mythology behind Rewi Alley.
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