瑞士档案提供了中国历史影片

77 years ago, Swiss photo journalist Walter Bosshard became the first European reporter to reach the Chinese "red capital", Yan'an. He recorded his observations in a documentary named "Journey to Yan'an" .

This documentary has never been released in China until now. It is rare footage of Yan'an in the early days of the war.

The documentary was captured  by 16 mm film and lasted about 22 minutes. Bosshard went to Yan'an with the Eighth Route Army led by the Chinese Communist Party. His journey started from Xi'an, and was arranged by Zhou Enlai, one of then CPC top leaders.

"Shot after the long march, like race between the some rivalling journalists, who is the first to get there. of course ,we know that Edgar Snow has been there, but no European before. The famous Robert Capa, the photographer wanted to go there. But he was first," said Dr. Daniel Nerlich, Deputy Director, Archives of Contemp. History, Eth Zurich.

It took them six days to finish the 500-kilometre march because of the cold spring in Northwest of China and the poor road condition. They even suffered heavy rain and snow, and their trucks were stuck in mud.

"It's quite unusual that you had ice and snow at this time of the year. they have to sleep on the blackboard...they were two days stuck there ....and he was like a monkey at the zoo, because all the kids of the village surrounding him," Dr. Daniel Nerlich said.

Bosshard noticed that as they got closer to Yan'an, more and more young students were on the road to the red capital. When their trucks passed by, the students would beckon the soldiers cheerfully.

"The group was joined by many students walking to Yanan, young students from all over the country, and all over the world come to the country as well. And he was impressed how those people were enthusiastic," Dr. Nerlich said.

The conditions in Yan'an were really harsh. People lived in cave dwellings, and washed their clothes in the freezing water.

On the contrary, the spirits were high. Students from art schools were learning to draw posters against Japanese Aggression, and those from military colleges were receiving political and military training for the field combats with Japanese in future.

Bosshard also recorded the life of the CPC leader Mao Zedong, and interviewed him. Chairman Mao was working on one of his most important military theories,  On Protracted War, at that time.

"He says the future of the communist party is not important at the moment, and the moment we are concentrated on the fight against Japan," Dr. Nerlich recalled.

Walter Bosshard covered many stories on anti-Fascist fights in China during the World War II, and the Archives of Contemporary history of ETH Zurich holds the private papers of him after he died in 1986.