After three years in the Soviet Union, he returned to China in 1928 and was dispatched to advise General Kuang Jixun [zh] when his forces declared themselves part of the Red Army.
After several victories against the Kuomintang (KMT), the communist forces were defeated at Kaijiang, and Luo was subsequently sent to provide training in the Sichuan–Shanxi Soviet [zh].
[3] Returning to China three years later, Luo was dispatched by the Sichuan CCP branch to work with the 7th Mixed Brigade of the 28th Army in Pengxi.
[6] With Luo serving as the political advisor to General Kuang Jixun [zh], the 7th Mixed Brigade – having declared themselves the First Sichuan Route of the Chinese Red Army, and reportedly 3,000 strong at their peak[3] – captured the Pengxi County seat, then moved on to fight in Yingshan and Quxian before being defeated at Kaijiang in a failed bid to capture Maoerzhai.
[7] After the Mukden incident of 18 September 1931, which was followed by the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, Luo began promoting anti-Japanese sentiments while simultaneously inciting more uprisings.
[1] There, he worked with Liao Chengzhi,[2] teaching introductions to Leninism and – with Liu Ruilong [zh], Fu Zhong, and Hu Manshi – preparing the Young Pioneers Textbook (少先队课本).
[1] As the Imperial Japanese Army moved southward and the Second Sino-Japanese War escalated, in 1937 Luo was sent to meet with Liu Xiang and Pan Wenhua, both of whom were prominent members of Sichuan society.
Meanwhile, Luo stoked anti-Japanese sentiment in Chengdu and Chongqing, working in conjunction with Zhang Shushi [zh], Che Yaoxian, and Wang Ganqing.
[8] However, tensions remained high between the CCP and KMT, and after a rice rush in 1940, Dai Li ordered the detention of known communists in Chengdu.
[8] Luo was captured by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics – the KMT's intelligence agency[9] – and tortured, while other communists were buried alive.
[17] The Luo Shiwen Martyrs Historical Materials Exhibition Hall, established in 1996 in Neijiang, has been used for patriotic education in the city.
The film premiered in Weiyuan County on 30 June 2022, with intent for a broader theatrical release as well as screening on the China Movie Channel.