Nanniwan is a gorge about 90km southeast of Yan'an, Shaanxi province. In response to economic blockades by the Imperial Japanese Army and Kuomintang in 1941, the Communists began experimenting with small scale agricultural development in a bid to become self-sufficient in food. The 359th brigade of the Eighth Route Army was deployed to Nanniwan to improve agricultural productivity. In 1943 Nanniwan was heralded a success, and a propagandist song was commissioned. The lyrics, written by He Jingzhi, were set to a traditional folk melody of northern Shaanxi.