Chinese Discourses on the Peasant, 1900-1949 (S U N Y Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Xiaorong Han Explores How Chinese Intellectuals Envisioned The Peasantry And Its Role In Changing Society During The First Half Of The Twentieth Century. Politically Motivated Intellectuals, Both Communist And Non-communist, Believed That Rural Peasants And Their Villages Would Be At The Heart Of Change During This Long Period Of National Crisis. Nevertheless, Intellectuals Saw Themselves As The True Shapers Of Change Who Would Transform And Use The Peasantry. Han Uses Intellectuals' Writings To Provide A Comprehensive Look At Their Views Of The Peasantry. He Shows How Intellectuals With Varying Politics Created Images Of The Peasant - A Supposed Contemporary Image And An Ideal Image Of The Peasant Transformed For Political Ends, How Intellectuals Theorized On The Nature Of Chinese Rural Life, And How Intellectuals Conceived Their Own Relationships With Peasants.--jacket. Ch. 1. Introduction -- Ch. 2. The Intelligentsia, The Peasantry, And The Chinese Nation -- Ch. 3. The Image Of The Peasant -- Ch. 4. The Nature Of Rural Society -- Ch. 5. Patterns Of Intellectual-peasant Relations -- Ch. 6. Conclusion. Xiaorong Han. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Chinese Discourses on the Peasant, 1900–1949......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 List of Tables......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 1. Introduction......Page 14 2. The Intelligentsia, the Peasantry, and the Chinese Nation......Page 20 3. The Image of the Peasant......Page 32 4. The Nature of Rural Society......Page 86 5. Patterns of Intellectual–Peasant Relations......Page 130 6. Conclusion......Page 180 Notes......Page 190 Bibliography......Page 224 C......Page 266 H......Page 267 L......Page 268 P......Page 269 Rural China and the Chinese peasantry in the first half of the twentieth century have attracted much academic attention since the Communist takeover of Mainland China in 1949.