The Lost Generation: The Rustification of Chinese Youth (1968-1980)

The Lost Generation is a vital component to an understanding of Maoism. Bonnin provides a comprehensive account of the critical movement during which seventeen million young -educated- city dwellers were supposed to transform themselves into peasants, potentially for life. Bonnin closely examines the Chinese leadership's motivations and the methods that it used over time to implement its objectives, as well as the day-to-day lives of those young people in the countryside, their difficulties, their doubts, their resistance, and, ultimately, their revolt. The author draws on a rich and diverse array of sources, concluding with a comprehensive assessment of the movement that shaped an entire generation, including a majority of today's cultural, economic, and political elite. Half Title Page 1 Map 2 Title Page 3 Copyright 4 Frontispiece 5 Contents 7 Preface 13 Introduction 17 Part 1. Motivations 61 1. Ideological Motives 63 2. Political Motivations 79 3. Socioeconomic Motives 85 Part 2. The Life and Death of the Xiaxiang Movement: Policy Changes 107 4. The Managers and the Ideologue: The Prelude and Interlude of the Cultural Revolution (1955–1966) 109 5. The Mass Movement (1968–1976) 125 6. Irresistible Agony (1977–1980) 183 7. The Shadow of Xiaxiang in the 1980s 247 Part 3. Firsthand Experience 273 8. The Conditions of Departure: “Voluntary” Deportation 275 9. Material Difficulties and Low Morale 295 Part 4. Social Resistance 387 10. The Social Control System 389 11. Passive Resistance and Its Effects 397 12. Open Resistance 447 Part 5. Assessment of the Xiaxiang “Movement” in History 459 13. Socioeconomic Assessment 461 14. Political and Ideological Assessment 481 Conclusion 501 Glossary 517 Bibliography 527 Index of Places 559 Index of Persons 565 Thematic Index 569

The Lost Generation is a vital component to understanding Maoism. The book provides a comprehensive account of the critical movement during which seventeen million young "educated" city-dwellers were supposed to transform themselves into peasants, potentially for life. Bonnin closely examines the Chinese leadership's motivations and the methods that they used over time to implement their objectives, as well as the day-to-day lives of those young people in the countryside, their difficulties, their doubts, their resistance and, ultimately, their revolt. The author draws on a rich and diverse array of sources, concluding with a comprehensive assessment of the movement that shaped an entire generation, including a majority of today's cultural, economic, and political elite.*Chosen as one of the "Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2014"

"The Lost Generation is a vital component to understanding Maoism. The book provides a comprehensive account of the critical movement during which seventeen million young "educated" city-dwellers were supposed to transform themselves into peasants, potentially for life. Bonnin closely examines the Chinese leadership's motivations and the methods that they used over time to implement their objectives, as well as the day-to-day lives of those young people in the countryside, their difficulties, their doubts, their resistance and, ultimately, their revolt. The author draws on a rich and diverse array of sources, concluding with a comprehensive assessment of the movement that shaped an entire generation, including a majority of today's cultural, economic, and political elite."--Dust jacket The Lost Generation is a vital component to an understanding of Maoism. The book provides a comprehensive account of the critical movement during which seventeen million young "educated" city dwellers were supposed to transform themselves into peasants, potentially for life. Bonnin closely examines the Chinese leadership's motivations and the methods that it used over time to implement its objectives, as well as the day-to-day lives of those young people in the countryside, their difficulties, their doubts, their resistance, and, ultimately, their revolt. The author draws on a rich and diverse array of sources, concluding with a comprehensive assessment of the movement that shaped an entire generation, including a majority of today's cultural, economic, and political elite.