Utopia In Jan Wong's 'Red China Blues'

The Utopia Project

Can utopia be a reality, or is it simply a dream? Throughout history, many governments built upon the ideals of a utopian society ultimately crumble upon closer inspection. In the memoir Red China Blues, the protagonist Jan Wong believed that she found utopia. She believes that she found a society where everyone is equal, a society where tyranny is nonexistent. Where the government answers questions readily and allows it’s citizens to do as they please. As she puts it, she was a “stark raving maoist”, a true believer in the principles of Maoism and its purported benefits. However, she encounters conflicts with her culture about the amount of information she is allocated, her personal relationships. These conflicts combine

By understanding the process of which Jan gets disillusioned, one can emulate that process in order to distinguish the flaws of the purported utopias that collapsed.

From the very beginning, Jan encounters resistance when it comes to information being allocated to her. These unanswered questions detract from the illusion of utopia where the government is transparent; since in a utopia, the government has nothing to hide. In ‘red’ China, this is not the case. At a trial for a ration coupon dealer, which was supposed to serve the purpose of demonstrating the unity of China’s people, she asks, “Does that mean that some people don’t have enough to eat?” Her question was answered with silence. The lack of answers contradicts the illusion of utopia where the government is open. Furthermore, this lack of answers implies that either the government is trying to hide something which is a contradiction of the transparent government condition or the government is unsure. By being unsure, it means that the supply of food is not consistent for some groups of people, this directly contradicts how a utopia functions, as a utopia must satisfy all aspects of Maslow’s Pyramid. A possible explanation to the lack of answers is China’s culture, the chinese culture is based around the idea of ‘face’. One can lose face or gain