Impeccably true to its definition, the Chinese characters for “revolution” literally mean “elimination of life”, proved by China’s catastrophic cultural revolution. Communist leader Mao Zedong sought to eliminate the past and push for a resurrection only to land China miserably behind. By wiping away years of scientific and literary advancements, China renounced its grandiose history and way of life. In 1966, Communist leader Mao Zedong initiated the Cultural Revolution in China intended to reaffirm his domination over the Chinese government, drastically affecting the lives of nearly everyone in China. Suspicious of current communist leaders taking over the party, Mao enslaved the minds of Chinese youth to eradicate “impure” components of Chinese society, including every person suspected of being a capitalist in China (History.com). Revolutionary material was also stamped out as ordered by Mao Zedong, “to read too many books is harmful” (Mao Zedong) including all literature with the exception of Mao’s Little Red Book. Literary and scientific advancements ceased at this time, making pleasure reading a mere memory or otherwise extremely rare (Edward Quinn). Life was drastic and somber without creative outlets to cope, making the character’s of Balzac and the Little Seamstress’s story strikingly probable as the narrator expresses his frustration, “I feel loathing for everyone who kept these books from us.”( Dai Sijie 99). Struggling under the impeding pressures from every angle, it seemed worth risking lives simply to enjoy forbidden western literature as the narrator states, “I hadn’t expected that a tiny glimmer of hope for the future could transform someone so utterly.” (77); Balzac was their salvation. Balzac and T... ... middle of paper ... ...n File, Inc. Web. 14 Allen, Brooke. “A Suitcase Education.” Rev. of Balzac and The Little Seamstress. New York Times 13 Sept. 2001: 24. Print. Boucquey, Thierry, gen. ed. “Luo Guanzhong.” Encyclopedia of World Writers, 14th through 18th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 May 2014 Cook, James Wyatt. “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” Encyclopedia of Renaissance Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 May 2014 Guanzhong, Luo. Romance of Three Kingdoms. Trans. Moss Roberts. Beijing: Foreign Language, 2006. Print. History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 14 May 2014. Quinn, Edward. “Cultural Revolution in China.” History in Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. Bloom’s Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 May 2014
Jonathan Spence tells his readers of how Mao Zedong was a remarkable man to say the very least. He grew up a poor farm boy from a small rural town in Shaoshan, China. Mao was originally fated to be a farmer just as his father was. It was by chance that his young wife passed away and he was permitted to continue his education which he valued so greatly. Mao matured in a China that was undergoing a threat from foreign businesses and an unruly class of young people who wanted modernization. Throughout his school years and beyond Mao watched as the nation he lived in continued to change with the immense number of youth who began to westernize. Yet in classes he learned classical Chinese literature, poems, and history. Mao also attained a thorough knowledge of the modern and Western world. This great struggle between modern and classical Chinese is what can be attributed to most of the unrest in China during this time period. His education, determination and infectious personalit...
...hinese Seamstress gives an accurate depiction of things that occurred during the Chinese Culture Revolution. It shows that youth were re-educated in villages by poor peasants and that material of western influences that opposed Mao and his ideas were considered bad and were banned. It shows that in order to re-educate them they were to do manual labor and live in communes. They were removed from their families and the things they took for granted. Their lives were no longer under their control, they were told were to go live, where to work and what they can and cannot do. The Chinese Culture Revolution had a profound impact on the people in China from every aspect of life, men, women and children and from every age were affected.
In the Chinese history there is an important date that many remember. That is the Cultural Revolution that started in 1966 (Chan 103). This Cultural Revolution wasn’t a war by any means, but a competition between the different factions of the communist party for power. The Cultural Revolution was also a very important event in the history of the Chen Village. We saw through the different chapters of Chen Village just how it affected the different people that were living there during the eleven year span that it lasted (Chan 103). The Cultural Revolution caused a lot of problems to stir up in Chen Village.
China’s Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution (GPCR) is a well-documented period in world history, but the most profound records are found vivified in the literature and films later into the 20th century, respectively. One of the most profound novels is “To Live”, authored by Yu Hua, which as a fictional narrative offers both a unique and realistic sense of the time period at the individual level. However, the provocative film adaptation directed by Zhang Yimou in 1994 was formidable enough that it was banned in Mainland China. Zhang paints a more realistic picture of how the GPCR influenced Chinese society but adds zest to Hua’s ambiguity but acceptable imperfection. Naturally, the film has many different characteristics yet still manages to overcome the challenges that implicate film adaptations.
Following Mao Zedong’s death, “the rise of the moderate Deng Xiaoping created new opportunities for public expression” (“Scar Literature”). People began to write about their lives under Mao which led to the emergence of Scar Literature. The main characteristics of Scar Literature are the criticism of the Cultural Revolution and the Maoist regime, details of the suffering that people went through during Mao’s rule and the Cultural Revolution and catharsis. The criticism of the Cultural Revolution and the Maoist regime is obvious in every piece of Scar Literature. However, this criticism is likely indirect because direct attacks on the Maoist government would not have been received well by the new leader of China. (“Scar Literature”) The details of the suffering that people went through during Mao’s rule and the Cultural Revolution may include the experiences that people had during that time period like persecution and the emotions that were felt during that time as a result of living under Mao...
When Mao Zedong was born in 1893, his homeland of China was in deep political and economic trouble. Long before the rise of Mao, China believed that they were the most superior country in comparison to all other cultures and religions, resulting in complete isolation and a lack of contact with foreign countries. However, China’s political stability was tested in the early 1830’s when Western countries such as Great Britain, Germany, France, and the United States of America threatened China to open up their main trading port known as Canton, modern day Guangzhou. As a result, the Chinese faced unequal treaties and rights through this sphere of influence, leading to the loss of land to the West. 1 Furthermore, the Imperial Government and Republic
Communism is a system of government, a political ideology that rejects private ownership and promotes a classless, stateless society based on common ownership of all property and the means of production, where by all work is shared and all proceeds are commonly owned. Communism is practised in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos and Cuba. However most of the world’s communist governments have been disbanded since the end of World War II. Soon after the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II, Communist forces began a war against the Kuomintang in China. The Communists gradually gained control of the country and on the 1st October, 1949, Mao Zedong announced the victory of the Communist party and the establishment of the People's Republic of China. China has been ruled by the Communist party ever since.
The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern World, Beginnings—1650. Compact Ed. Eds. Paul Davis, et al. Beford: Boston, 2009. Print. 1163—1183.
In China at this time a second key topic is that of the internal crises that were occurring: famines, the rebellions, and explosive population growth of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many of these issues were not new to the empire, but coming at the same time as foreign encroachments, therefore, the extent and the timing of their challenge was crucial. A third major topic is the extent and nature of the changes that were required, and the dialogue within China about how best to respond to these combined challenges. To the outright rejection of the Chinese past, dialogue about reform was many-faceted. It vacillated between the progressive combinations of elements from the west with the best of Chinese traditions. Finally, by the 1920s, discussing the relevance of Marxism for china, some reformers turned revolutionary. The particular role played by Mao Zedong in adapting Marxism to the Chinese situation and the Chinese communist revolution that unfolded in China in the 1930s and 1940s.
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, beginning as a campaign targeted at removing Chairman Mao Zedong's political opponents, was a time when practically every aspect of Chinese society was in pandemonium. From 1966 through 1969, Mao encouraged revolutionary committees, including the red guards, to take power from the Chinese Communist party authorities of the state. The Red Guards, the majority being young adults, rose up against their teachers, parents, and neighbors. Following Mao and his ideas, The Red Guard's main goal was to eliminate all remnants of the old culture in China. They were the 'frontline implementers' who produced havoc, used bloody force, punished supposed 'counter revolutionists', and overthrew government officials, all in order to support their 'beloved leader'.
Douglas Reynolds, China, 1898-1912: The Xinzheng Revolution and Japan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993.
Chen, Zu-yan. Li Bai & Du Fu: An Advanced Reader of Chinese Language and Literature =. Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 2008. Print.
... cannot be shared in the legal Chinese media. Moreover, despite the repeated refusal of the label “political poet,” political reading of his work remain an exasperating continual practice and fortunately for him, he cannot avoid being read by his Chinese readers against the social context of coeval China.
He Lian Bo Bo Da Wang (Mei Yi), Yi Jiu Yi Yi, Ge Ming Yu Su Ming (Hong Kong, Hong Kong Open Page Publishing Co, Ltd., pp.1-35, 138-157. Hsueh, Chun- tu, The Chinese Revolution of 1911: New Perspectives (Hong Kong: Joint _____Publishing Co., 1986), pp.1-15, 119-131, 139-171. Lin Jiayou, Xin Hai Ge, Ming Yu, Zhong Hua Min, Zu De Jue Xing (Guangzhou, Guangdong _____Ren Min Chu Ban She, 2011), pp.
The topic of investigation is to determine whether the modernizations of Chinese operas justifiably portrayed China. The investigation will focus on Chinese operas from 1949-1976 and the government’s involvement during the Culture Revolution. Mao’s motivations to reform China are considered within this investigation and the relation between are explored.