As some of you no doubt noticed, last week came and went without a release of a Gladio Free Europe episode. We apologize sincerely for the mishap, we were unable to release anything last week due to technical difficulties. But now we're back, baby!!!

On this week's episode of Gladio Free Europe, we spoke about the 1994 film To Live, directed by Zhang Yimou and in our estimation one of the greatest works of cinema to come out of China. The film covers the story of a man named Fu Gui and his family as they navigate the tumultuous events that rocked China to its core. In the beginning of the film, Fu Gui is a minor landlord with a gambling addiction which leads him to ruin, squandering his family's remaining wealth in rigged games of dice. What seems at first to be a tragedy for Fu Gui however is quickly revealed to be a blessing in disguise, as his loss of wealth comes just before the communists win the civil war and take control of the entirety of the Chinese mainland. Fu Gui and his family live through the vagaries of the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, rapidly oscillating between genuine happiness and the most bitter of tragedies. In the first half of the episode, we analyze the events of this heart-rending film and provide some additional context to the events depicted.

In the second half of the episode, we shift gears to talk about the ongoing history wars which have greatly intensified after Xi Jinping came to power. Historical memory is an important aspect which every nation must invent and reinvent with the dawning of each new era. China is no exception, and the legacy of the period of Maoist rule remains a highly contentious topic. Upon taking office, Xi Jinping made it clear that one of his main priorities would be combating what the Party has deemed to be "historical nihilism". The government would thenceforth play a much more proactive role in the shaping of historical narratives covering the entirety of Chinese history, but the Maoist period in particular. We get into what historical nihilism means, why Xi and the top party leadership believe it to be such a threat, the ways that they are going about combating it, as well as drawing comparisons to the current struggle over the grand narrative of American history which has taken center stage since the publication of the 1619 Project.

As always, we're looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say about the episode, questions, commentaries, and criticisms are all equally welcome! We'd like to thank the Hexbear community for helping us grow as a podcast thus far. In these last few months we've built up a small organic audience and in no small part it's thanks to you guys and gals. We also ask that if you feel strongly about the show, we would also greatly appreciate it if you would rate/review our show on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or any other podcasting platform of your choice so that people interested in our style of content could find us more easily. If you are so inclined you may also follow us on Twitter at @GladioFreeEuro. Take care everybody!