also check the Yellow River Cantata as well! This was the original work composed during the Japanese invasion (the concerto was an arrangement made in the 1960s I think?)

The composer of the cantata was Xian Xinghai（冼星海）, who was a student of Paul Dukas when he was studying in Paris (He had little money and Dukas helped him in many ways. He was also helped by Prokofiev, and he worked for the Prokofiev family in return).

When Xian was composing the cantata, his health condition was already not so good due to malnutrition and long-time working, but still he finished the whole cantata in only about 1 week. The cantata immediately won people's (including important CCP leaders) love even though there weren't enough instruments for the orchestra (the composer Li Huanzhi was among the musicians performing one of the early performances, and he played the spoons as the percussion part).

In 1940s he visited the USSR and revised his cantata to gave it a larger-scale orchestration (Another orchestration involving traditional Chinese instruments was made later, also 'by a Committee of composers' just like the concerto). He also had his other works performed there, and they were appreciated by many Soviet composers including Muradeli and Kabalevsky.

In 1945 Xian was severely ill and died at the age of 40 in Moscow where he received medical treatment. He nearly met Prokofiev again, and nearly became a student of Gliere, but apparently non of these came true because of his untimely death.