1936年6月至10月，美国记者埃德加·斯诺依据在中国陕北革命根据地的实地采访，创作了一部纪实文学作品——《红星照耀中国》，他以实事求是的态度向全球报道了中国共产党领导人及红军的现状。1937年10月，英国戈兰茨出版公司在伦敦首次出版了《红星照耀中国》一书，其中文版于翌年2月首次出版。该书一经问世即迅速成为世界级畅销书，在国际上产生了广泛而深远的影响，并为中国共产党的国际形象塑造工作做出了突出贡献。

本文以《红星照耀中国》为研究对象，对斯诺1936年第一次采访中国共产党前后一段时期进行较为深入的历史考察，以此探讨对新时代国际形象塑造的借鉴意义。本文分别从《红星照耀中国》得以产生的历史背景、中国共产党为斯诺到访采取的准备、传播途径、历史影响、当代启示进行考察。首先，中国所处的严峻舆论环境、斯诺作为记者具备的优势、千载难逢的历史机遇等，使得他成为访问苏区的最佳人选。其次，中国共产党在斯诺访问陕甘宁边区之前所做的策划和一系列准备，为斯诺撰写《红星照耀中国》提供了极大帮助和便利，如研究斯诺出访的议程、亲自布置有关工作、拟定访问计划；采访期间，对斯诺采访自由给予完全尊重、开展巧妙的指导、诚恳与之沟通交流等。另外，《红星照耀中国》能够在世界各个国家进行传播，一是《红星照耀中国》尚未问世时，新闻上的相关报道就已经引起国内外新闻界及学界的关注，这为其传播并奠定了扎实基础；二是《红星照耀中国》的作者、译者以及出版者都曾对其有过一定程度的介绍，该书发行之后其内容不断修订与完善，被译成多种语言版本，并且在全球范围内相继出版与重印；三是英文报刊、杂志和其他各种方式刊登了各种评论家对该书的评论。

不仅如此，《红星照耀中国》对延安时期的国际传播产生了较为深刻的影响，将共产党的真实形象传播给世人，打破了国民党的媒体封锁和政治抹黑，吸引了众多国际友人来访问中国共产党，提升了中共在国际上的知名度。最后，我们可以从延安时期采取的方式中汲取经验教训，一是要坚持实事求是的思想路线；二要发挥外媒的桥梁作用，借用外媒的力量，对恶劣的舆论环境进行斗争，获得主动权；三要发挥互联网的作用，创新传播手段；四要增强国际传播话语体系与能力建设，欢迎更多外国记者成为新时代的斯诺。

From June to October 1936, Edgar Snow, an American journalist, created a documentary literature work "Red Star Over China" based on his field interviews in the revolutionary base in northern Shaanxi, China. He reported the situation of the leaders of the the Communist Party of China and the Red Army to the world with a realistic attitude. In October 1937, the Glanz Publishing Company of England first published the book "Red Star Over China" in London, and its Chinese version was first published in February of the following year. As soon as the book was published, it quickly became a world best seller, had a wide and far-reaching impact on the world, and made outstanding contributions to the international image building of the Communist Party of China.

Taking "Red Star Over China" in China as an example, this article examines the period before and after Snow's first interview with the the Communist Party of China in 1936, in order to explore the implications for international communications work in the new era. The historical background to the dissemination of The Red Star Shines in China, the preparations made by the  Communist Party of China for Snow's visit, the means of dissemination, the historical impact and the contemporary revelations are examined. Firstly, The tough public opinion environment in China, Snow's own strengths as a journalist, and the once-in-a-lifetime historical opportunity made him the perfect choice to visit the Soviet Union. Secondly,The Chinese Communist Party's planning and a series of preparations before Snow's visit to the Shaanxi-Ganjing border area greatly helped and facilitated Snow's writing of "Red Star Over China" in China, such as studying the agenda of Snow's visit, personally setting up the relevant work and drawing up the visit plan; during the interview, Snow's freedom of interview was fully respected, skillfully guided, and sincerely communicated with him. In addition, "Red Star Over China" in China was disseminated in various countries around the world was due to the fact that, before  "Red Star Over China" was released, the relevant news reports had already attracted the attention of the press and other academic circles at home and abroad, which laid a solid foundation for its dissemination; secondly, the author, translator and publisher of Red Star had introduced or translated it to a certain extent. Since its release, it has been revised and improved in terms of content, translated into multiple language versions, and published and reprinted worldwide;Thirdly, there are the reviews and commentaries of various critics published in English-language newspapers, magazines and various other means.

In addition, "Red Star Over China" in China had a more profound impact on international communication during the Yan'an period, spreading the true image of the Communist Party of China to the world, breaking the Kuomintang media blockade and political smear,attracting many international friends to visit the Communist Party of China, and raising the international profile of the Communist Party of China. Finally, we can draw lessons from the approach taken during the Yan'an period: first, we should adhere to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts; second, we should play the role of a bridge to the foreign media, borrow their power to fight against the harsh public opinion environment and gain the initiative; third, we should play the role of the Internet and innovate the means of communication; fourth, we should enhance the international communication discourse system and capacity building, and welcome more foreign journalists to become the new era of Snow.