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Revolution and the cultural revolution china
Cultural revolution china essay
The impact of cultural revolution in China under Mao Zedong essay
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The Novel: Balzac and little Chinese seamstress written by Dai Siejie. Takes place during the period of Mao's Cultural Revolution in China during early 1979s. It lasted for a period of ten years when hundreds of thousands of intellectuals were sent into the country side for reeducation. Chairman Mao disliked the Soviet Union's style of Communism, and feared the existence of intellectuals, would get China to be at the same spot. Therefore Mao punished every intellectual that stud on his way. They were labeled as reactionaries. The novel is about two teenagers. "Luo, who is good a story telling and an unnamed narrator, "a fine violin player" who are sent to be re-educated after the Chinese cultural revolution. They are sent to a mountain called "Phoenix of the Sky because their parents were publicly denounced and recognized as enemies of people. The general idea behind the Cultural Revolution was element of control. And Mao thought that all intellectuals were a thread to his power. The reason for that was that most of the intellectuals had the ability to think for themselves. Mao foun...
Throughout the course of his lifetime, Ah Cheng experienced major political and historical events that strongly influenced his literature. The Cultural Revolution and rule of Mao Zedong was widespread throughout China starting in the 1960s, and devastated millions of families. Cheng took a different approach to much of the literature ("scar literature") that emerged from the revolution, and instead of focusing on the detrimental effects, chose to use his literature as a way to point out the flaws of the revolution. These counter-revolutionary ideals are subtle but evident throughout The King of Trees, as the political chaos creates a backdrop in the novella, rather than the central focus. They can especially be seen through the use of abundant metaphorical elements. By showing the effects of the “down to the countryside movement”, a major reform under the rule of Mao Zedong, Cheng is able to provide a commentary on the Revolution through his characters and the setting as well. Throughout The King of Trees, Ah Cheng reveals his political views towards the Cultural Revolution through his use of symbolism, and his descriptions of the characters and the setting.
Communism came to power in China in the year 1949 and was dictated by Mao Zedong, who later ordered for all educated men and women of China to be reeducated in the countryside. Lou and the narrator were just two of many thousands to be sent off to be reeducated. Lou and the narrator then meet the Little Chinese Seamstress, and Lou, as well as the narrator to an extend fall in love with her.
The plot of this novel is set in the city of Chengdu in the providence of Sichuan, located in central China. The book itself was written in 1931 and by this time, the Chinese communist party was well established and fighting battles with the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek and spreading influence in south and central China. (Chin, 1931) This story is about the rich, aristocratic Kao Family, who live in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan. The story has some very interesting characters but for the most part, mainly focuses on the three brothers and their very interesting and downright depressing lives.
Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to market. Oxford University Press, 2005.
The two short stories, “The Princess of Nebraska” and “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” by Yiyun Li, depict the lives of two people under Chinese communist control, trapped by the social restraints of their society in search of individual salvation. In “Princess of Nebraska”, a young girl (Sasha) struggles to find internal purpose and satisfaction within her life, feeling that the restraints of communist control keep her from achieving the sense of self she desires. She believes the United States is the solution to gaining her individual freedom and fantasizes the recreation of her identity and life. Similarly, “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” revolves around the same theme of social freedom vs the discovery of the individual self. Mr.Shi,
The setting of a story has a ponderous influence on the reader’s perception as it often justifies a character’s behavior. In Saboteur, the story takes place in communist China as witnessed by the concrete statue of Chairman Mao in the middle of the square. During this period, the communist leader Mao Zedong was ruling with authority and transforming the society based on a Marxist model. The author states that “the Cultural Revolution was over already and recently the party had been propagating the idea that all citizens are equal”(26). The statue is located in the middle of a square before Muji train station. Muji seems to be a middle sized province town. The place is very busy as suggested by the “food and fruit vendors crying for customers in lazy voices” (3). The place “smells of rotten melon and a few flies kept buzzing above the couple’s lunch”(3) foreshadowing a unpleasant event. The season in which the plot takes place is summer since Mr. Chiu and his bride are both wearing sandals. Additionally later during the story Mr. Chiu is offered to sign his self criticism carrying a date that is July the 13th.
shows the effect of the society on them, the loss of hope they had in
Despite the importance of preserving nature, commercial growth has taken precedence, resulting in an exploitation of natural resources.
In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie uses symbolism, setting, imagery, characterization, and irony to express what reeducation was like in Mao’s China, while emphasizing the power of knowledge throughout.
Mao’s Cultural Revolution was an attempt to create a new culture for China. Through education reforms and readjustments, Mao hoped to create a new generation of Chinese people - a generation of mindless Communists. By eliminating intellectuals via the Down to the Countryside movement, Mao hoped to eliminate elements of traditional Chinese culture and create a new form Chinese culture. He knew that dumbing down the masses would give him more power so his regime would be more stable. This dramatic reform affected youth especially as they were targeted by Mao’s propaganda and influence. Drawing from his experiences as an Educated Youth who was sent down to the countryside Down to the Countryside movement, Ah Cheng wrote The King of Children to show the effects of the Cultural Revolution on education, and how they affected the meaning people found in education. In The King of Children, it is shown that the Cultural Revolution destroyed the traditional incentives for pursuing an education, and instead people found moral and ethical meaning in pursuing an education.
This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parablethe style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.
...uses the reader to be more invested in the story and therefore truly strive to understand the world portrayed instead of just shallowly absorbing the setting. This is a strength because it gave the reader unique outlook on the Asian cultures because the audience feels personally involved in these situations. There are a few weaknesses in the book. I think perhaps, by putting the audience in these men’s shoes you cause them develop a bias. The reader will possibly have and emotional tie to the characters and because of this not see straight facts of history. The book is highly recommended to readers interested in pre-modern history, the book is a good look into the eastern world especially if one lacks research experience with that part of the world and its history.
In the China that Yu Hua grew up in, many people read banned novels, copied novels, and read novels that were in the worse conditions. From an early age, children knew the power of writing; it was evident through the big-character posters. The posters would turn neighbor against neighbor and, rarely, families would fall apart, and the victim would occasionally take his or her own life. Teachers resorted to asking school aged children to defame their character. In China in Ten Words, Yu Hua writes, “…if you don’t write, then you won’t know what you’re capable of creating” (Hua 80). He wrote and he read even when he had nothing and in doing that, it has made all the difference in his
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'.
The novella that I read for summer reading was Animal Farm. I chose to read this book because of great reviews from both adults and peers. It was written by George Orwell and was first published in 1975. Because Orwell was an adherent of socialism, Animal Farm is a satire showing the rise and fall of Soviet Communism through animals on a farm. The animals overthrow the unkind farmer, Mr. Jones and establish their own community and government that mirrors a communist society.