"Chinese Modern" examines crucial episodes in the creation of
Chinese modernity during the turbulent twentieth century. Analyzing
a rich array of literary, visual, theatrical, and cinematic texts,
Xiaobing Tang portrays the cultural transformation of China from
the early 1900s through the founding of the People's Republic, the
installation of the socialist realist aesthetic, the collapse of
the idea of utopia in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, and
the gradual cannibalization of the socialist past by consumer
culture at the century's end. Throughout, he highlights the dynamic
tension between everyday life and the heroic ideal.
Tang uncovers crucial clues to modern Chinese literary and
cultural practices through readings of Wu Jianren's 1906 novel "The
Sea of Regret" and works by canonical writers Lu Xun, Ding Ling,
and Ba Jin. For the midcentury, he broadens his investigation by
considering theatrical, cinematic, and visual materials in addition
to literary texts. His reading of the 1963 play "The Young
Generation" reveals the anxiety and terror underlying the
exhilarating new socialist life portrayed on the stage. This play,
enormously influential when it first appeared, illustrates the
utopian vision of China's lyrical age and its underlying
discontents--both of which are critical for understanding
late-twentieth-century China. Tang closes with an examination of
post-Cultural Revolution nostalgia for the passion of the lyrical
age.
Throughout "Chinese Modern" Tang suggests a historical and
imaginative affinity between apparently separate literatures and
cultures. He thus illuminates not only Chinese modernity but also
the condition of modernity as a whole, particularly in light of the
postmodern recognition that the market and commodity culture are
both angel and devil. This elegantly written volume will be
invaluable to students of China, Asian studies, literary criticism,
and cultural studies, as well as to readers who study modernity.
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