Words and Their Stories: Essays on the Language of the Chinese Revolution (Handbook of Oriental Studies: Section 4, China, 27)

As China joins the capitalist world economy, the problems of social disintegration that gave rise to the earlier revolutionary social movements are becoming pressing. Instead of viewing the Chinese Revolution as an academic study, these essays suggest that the motifs of the Revolution are still alive and relevant. The slogan Farewell to Revolution that obscures the revolutionary language is premature. In spite of dislocations and ruptures in the revolutionary language, to rethink this discourse is to revisit a history in terms of sedimented layers of linguistic meanings and political aspirations. Earlier meanings of revolutionary words may persist or coexist with non-revolutionary rivals. Recovery of the vital uses of key revolutionary words proffers critical alternatives in which contemporary capitalist myths can be contested." Copyright ......Page 5 Contents ......Page 6 List of Contributors......Page 8 Understanding the Chinese Revolution through Words: An Introduction (Ban Wang)......Page 12 1. Revolution: From Literary Revolution to Revolutionary Literature (Jianhua Chen)......Page 26 2. The Long March (Enhua Zhang)......Page 44 3. Rectification: Party Discipline, Intellectual Remolding, and the Formation of a Political Community (Kirk A. Denton)......Page 62 4. Worker-Peasant-Soldier Literature (Xiaomei Chen)......Page 76 5. Steel Is Made through Persistent Tempering (Xinmin Liu)......Page 96 6. Socialist Realism (Ban Wang)......Page 112 7. Political Lyric (Xin Ning)......Page 130 8. Writing the Actual (Charles A. Laughlin)......Page 146 9. Nowhere in the World Does There Exist Love or Hatred without Reason (Haiyan Lee)......Page 160 10. Promote Physical Culture and Sport, Improve the People's Constitution (Xiaoning Lu)......Page 182 11. Typical People in Typical Circumstances (Richard King)......Page 196 12. Use the Past to Serve the Present; the Foreign to Serve China (Tina Mai Chen)......Page 216 13. Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky (Xueping Zhong)......Page 238 14. Let a Hundred Flowers Blossom, Let a Hundred Schools of Thought Contend (Richard Kraus)......Page 260 15. They Love Battle Array, Not Silks and Satins (Tina Mai Chen)......Page 274 16. The Three Prominences (Yizhong Gu)......Page 294 17. Revolutionary Narrative in the Seventeen Years Period (Guo Bingru)......Page 316 Bibliography......Page 330 Index......Page 346 Understanding the Chinese revolution through words: an introduction / Ban Wang Revolution: from literary revolution to revolutionary literature / Jianhua Chen The Long March / Enhua Zhang Rectiþcation: party discipline, intellectual remolding, and the formation of a political community / Kirk A. Denton Worker-peasant-soldier's literature / Xiaomei Chen Steel is made through persistent tempering / Xinmin Liu Socialist realism / Ban Wang Political lyric / Xin Ning Writing the actual / Charles A. Laughlin Nowhere in the world does there exist love or hatred without reason / Haiyan Lee Promote physical culture and sport, improve the people's constitution / Xiaoning Lu Typical people in typical circumstances / Richard King Use the past to serve the present; the foreign to serve China / Tina Mai Chen Women can hold up half the sky / Xueping Zhong Let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend / Richard Kraus They love battle array, not silks and satins / Tina Mai Chen The three prominences / Yizhong Gu Revolutionary narrative in the Seventeen Years Period / Guo Bingru. In spite of dislocations and ruptures in Chinas revolutionary language, to rethink this discourse is to revisit a history in terms of sedimented layers of linguistic meanings and political aspirations. Earlier meanings of revolutionary words may persist or coexist with non-revolutionary rivals. Recovery of the vital uses of key revolutionary words projects critical alternatives in which contemporary capitalist myths can be contested.