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.
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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
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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
For the entire span of the Cultural Revolution, schools in China were closed and not managed. This left an entire generation with no education. All types of artifacts were burned to ashes such as religious texts. They were described as “old thinking”. Millions of people died during the cultural revolution. The victims who suffered from public humiliation committed suicide. Terrible mistakes and brutal violence weakened the history of communist China. For youths at this time it was confusing because
Gittings, John. The Changing Face of China: From Mao to market. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Although ignorance is bliss, there is nothing more dangerous than a closed mind. Therefore, it is only bliss for those who choose to remain ignorant, not for the ones who suffer because of that ignorance. In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie, this historical, fable novel and love story tells of a moving testament to the transformative power of literature. It follows two “city-youths,” the narrator and Luo who are exiled from their hometown, Chengdu to a mountain village in the countryside for “re-education” in the midst of Mao’s Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1971 for being sons of doctors. While working among the peasants of Phoenix Mountain, the two ingeniously conceal their forbidden treasure, a hidden stash of Western
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...
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.
China has gone through many changes in its history. Changes include economic, political, and social. In the early 1500 and throughout history, mostly all social classes followed Confucianism. Confucianism is a type of religion based on an ideal society (Chang 2012, 22). China was molded though Confucianism but that slowly deteriorated as years went on. One main group that has been a main part in these changes is the Chinese literati. The Chinese literati include the higher-class people such as officials and scholars. The Chinese literati were the dominant social class during the 1500’s but their power slowly decreased throughout history. Throughout my paper, I will explain the Chinese literati involvement as centuries passed.
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...
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.
There is no better way to learn about China's communist revolution than to live it through the eyes of an innocent child whose experiences were based on the author's first-hand experience. Readers learn how every aspect of an individual's life was changed, mostly for the worst during this time. You will also learn why and how Chairman Mao launched the revolution initially, to maintain the communist system he worked hard to create in the 1950's. As the story of Ling unfolded, I realized how it boiled down to people's struggle for existence and survival during Mao's reign, and how lucky we are to have freedom and justice in the United States; values no one should ever take for
Schoenhals, Michael. China's Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969: Not a Dinner Party. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1996. Print.
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.
De Bary, Wm. Theodore, Wing-Tsit Chan, and Burton Watson, eds. Sources of Chinese Tradition. NewYork: Columbia UP, 1960.
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution also known as the Cultural revolution in China is a social / political movement, that wanted to force their brand of communism on China. It was a political and social movement that was lead by Mao Zedong. In Which Mao wanted to bring back Maoist Ideology and Maoist thinking into the people of China. Mao wanted to make Maoist a dominate force and a dominate ideology in the communist party of China. The Cultural Revolution in China is a result of the great leap forward that brought Mao Zedong back into power. It set off the Cultural revolution that changed china, dramatically from a political, social and cultural standpoint. The changes from the Cultural revolution
...ng the time of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, mayhem was a part of everyday life. Mao Zedong encouraged rebellious actions from the Red Guards, and rewarded those who shone as leaders. He also targeted his political rivals by provoking the Red Guards to follow his ideas, and annihilate all remnants of china?s old culture. After the revolution ended, the Red guards received the disciplinary actions they deserved, and the tortured victims finally inadvertently received the vengeance they deserved.
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.