Studies on the image of CPC leaders provide a helpful perspective to understand why the CPC has been able to make its achievements so far. During the Yan’an period, a number of foreign journalists observed and reported CPC leaders at different times and places and from various perspectives. They presented a collective image of the leaders as advocators of uniting people to fight against the Japanese aggression for national independence, truth-seeking and pragmatic social reformers, determined Marxists, honest and self-disciplined civil servants and knowledge seekers with a broad vision and global mind. These images of CPC leaders presented by foreigners promoted the dissemination of the image of the Communist Party of China during the revolutionary war, changed the Party’s weak position in the publicity war between the Kuomintang and the CPC to a certain extent, effectively promoted the overseas dissemination of the image of Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong Thought, and expanded the influence of the Chinese revolution. In the meantime, they provided vivid historical materials for responding to the current trend of historical nihilism and telling good stories about the Communist Party of China.

　　Editor: Zhong Yao  Deng Panyi

　　From:World Socialism Studies.2023.No.8.