Xu Lanjun 徐蘭君. Ertong yu zhanzheng: Guozu, Jiaoyu ji dazhong wenhua 兒童與戰爭: 國族、教育及大眾文化 (Chinese Children and War: Nation, Education and Mass Culture): Beijing: Peking University Press, September 2015. 237 pages, 30 illustrations. Paper, Renminbi 38, ISBN: 978-7-301-23994-0

Xu Lanjun's book, "Ertong yu zhanzheng: Guozu, Jiaoyu ji dazhong wenhua" (Chinese Children and War: Nation, Education and Mass Culture), explores the reinvention of childhood in modern Chinese literature and culture during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The book examines how war propaganda and political ideologies shaped the conceptualization of childhood and the integration of children into the war experience. Xu analyzes various child-oriented literature and media, highlighting the blurred boundaries between children and adults and the role of children in nation-building. The book also discusses the connection between Chinese children's culture and war discourses during the Cold War and in Sinophone society. While the book could benefit from further exploration of age awareness, it offers valuable insights into the cultural construction of childhood in wartime China. [Extracted from the article]