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The Path of National Awakening From the Perspective of National Defense: A Study of The Eight Hundred



Author(s)

HUANG Lei, GUO Runlin

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2025.11.007

National University of Defense Technology, Changsha City, China

National awakening and the cultivation of national defense consciousness among the populace are deeply interconnected, forming a central narrative theme in Chinese films about the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The collective historical memory of the Chinese people’s wartime experience, which embodies the awakening of public defense consciousness, provides a significant historical reference for contemporary national defense development. This paper takes the film The Eight Hundred as a case study, analyzing its dialogues and scenes to trace the process through which national defense consciousness awakens among ordinary people. It concludes that such awakening is an inevitable outcome shaped by moral exemplars and cultural heritage. As an important medium of cultural transmission, War of Resistance-themed films not only construct and perpetuate national defense awareness through historical narratives but also inspire contemporary society to strengthen its defense consciousness through cinematic representation. Furthermore, these films serve as a window for international cross-cultural dialogue. Especially on the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance, they showcase to the world the spiritual strength and national resilience of the Chinese people in resisting foreign aggression.

The Eight Hundred, national defense consciousness, national awakening, Chinese War of Resistance films, collective memory