Lesson 4-Why did the Communists attempt to change Chinese culture?

Question 1

Proletarian

Answer 1

Non-property owning working class

Question 2

What were the Ten Great Buildings designed to do?

Answer 2

Showcase the ‘new’ China

Question 3

Between what years were the Ten Great Building rapidly constructed?

Answer 3

1958-59

Question 4

Why were the Ten Great Buildings rapidly constructed?

Answer 4

So they could be ready for the tenth anniversary celebration on 1st October 1959 (10 years after Mao announced the creation of PRC)

Question 5

What were some of the Ten Great Buildings?

Answer 5

Beijing’s new railway station
Cultural Palace of Nationalities
Worker’s stadium
Several state hotels and guesthouses

Question 6

What did the architectural style of the Ten Great Buildings reflect?

Answer 6

The influence of the Soviet advisers, as well as traditional Chinese architecture.

Question 7

What was the May Fourth Movement of 1919?

Answer 7

The demonstrations held on that day against the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which had awarded Germany’s former colonies in China to Japan.

Question 8

What were Agit-Prop touring groups?

Answer 8

Same as Soviet Russia, these groups put on easily understood plays, where the forces of good (the peasants and workers) triumphed over traditional forces of evil (landlords or religious figures).

Question 9

What was encouraged at towards agit-prop touring groups?

Answer 9

Audience participation in jeering the bad and cheering the good.

Question 10

What were agit-prop touring group plays for adults?

Answer 10

Pantomimes

Question 11

What was culture for Mao?

Answer 11

A separate, detached aspect of society

Question 12

From 1930, what 6 things did Mao teach about culture?

Answer 12

1. Culture was central not peripheral
2. Throughout history, the culture of every society was the direct product of the values laid down by the ruling class.
3. Now that China was a proletarian society, the culture had to be proletarian.
4. Eradication of bourgeois culture could not be done gently or with persuasion-had to be done by force.
5. Class enemies needed to be crushed
6. Revolution is an insurrection. Culture is about the lives of the people.

Question 13

What did Mao mean by culture was central not peripheral (secondary)?

Answer 13

It was a nation’s culture that define its character

Question 14

What did Mao mean by culture being a direct product of the values laid down by the ruling class?

Answer 14

Culture was the means by which rulers imposed their control over the people.

Question 15

What had to be done so that culture could match the proletarian society?

Answer 15

All traces of previous bourgeois culture had to be eradicated

Question 16

Why did the eradication of bourgeois culture have to be done by force?

Answer 16

No ruling class ever gives up its power willingly.

Question 17

What did Mao mean by revolution is an insurrection and culture was about the lives of the people?

Answer 17

Revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay or painting a picture-it is an insurrection, an act of violence by which once class overthrows another.
Culture was about the lives of the people not a matter of refined tastes.

Question 18

What did Mao say was all creative artists’ first duty?

Answer 18

To serve the people

Question 19

What did Mao say the work of creative artists should do?

Answer 19

Further the cause of the revolution

Question 20

What could creative artists not do?

Answer 20

Can’t give time to self-expression.
Can’t do art for art’s sake.

Question 21

What was required in order to impose new culture?

Answer 21

Destruction of old attitudes

Question 22

What did the May 1919 movement regard old Confucian ideal as?

Answer 22

A barrier for change

Question 23

How did the Land Reform of 1950 and the breaking of the power of the landlords have a big impact on breaking traditional values?

Answer 23

Before CR, aim was to undermine traditional peasant customs.
Collectives and communes allowed the CCP regiment (control) daily life.

Question 24

How were ideals reinforced?

Answer 24

By watching shows and propaganda films put on by agit-prop touring groups.

Question 25

In June 1966, what did Chen Boda’s editorial in the People’s Daily urge Red Guards to do?

Answer 25

Sweep away the monsters and demons.

Question 26

Who was Jiang Qing in regards to new Chinese culture?

Answer 26

Creator in chief

Question 27

What responsibility did Jiang Qing have as a creator in chief of the new Chinese culture?

Answer 27

Turning general denunciation of China’s four olds into a definite suppression of traditional Chinese society.

Question 28

What was Jiang Qing known as in regards to culture?

Answer 28

The cultural purifier of the nation

Question 29

How did Jiang Qing apply herself to her job as creator in chief of new Chinese culture?

Answer 29

With fanatical (keen/extreme) zeal

Question 30

What things did Jiang Qing do in her job for culture?

Answer 30

1. Imposed a rigid system of censorship
2. Only those writings. art works, broadcast programmes and films which had directly relevant contemporary Chinese themes were permitted.
3. Western music, classical and pop was banned
4. Traditional Chinese opera was ruled out

Question 31

What did Qing’s rigid system of censorship deny?

Answer 31

Public showing or performance to any work which did not meet her criteria of revolutionary purity

Question 32

What was traditional Chinese opera replaced by?

Answer 32

A repertoire (collection) of specially commissioned contemporary works

Question 33

What did Qing reject all non-Proletarian culture as?

Answer 33

Political correctness

Question 34

Who is Zhou Guanrun?

Answer 34

Professor of music

Question 35

What did Guanrun recall Qing’s orders against bourgeois culture had done?

Answer 35

Terrorised the staff at Beijing Conservatoire (music academy) into silence.
No music sounded anymore.

Question 36

Since music was no longer heard at the Beijing Conservatoire, what was happening there?

Answer 36

Everybody was just learning and doing self-criticisms or accepting criticisms from other students.

Question 37

By what year was the assault on traditional culture producing an artistic wasteland?

Answer 37

1970

Question 38

What was the attack on traditional culture producing in relation to the arts?

Answer 38

An artistic wasteland

Question 39

What happened to artists who were reluctant to embrace new rules and rigidities?

Answer 39

Were denounced and sent for re-education

Question 40

Example of re-education.

Answer 40

Musicians, who played piano or string instruments, were denied of tolls when sent to work in the fields and were made to scratch at the ground with their hands.

Question 41

Why were musicians denied tools and made to scratch at the ground with their hands?

Answer 41

So they would loose the vital sensitivity in their fingers and never be able to play well again.

Question 42

How often were attempts made to question Jiang?

Answer 42

Rarely

Question 43

What did Deng daringly suggest about Jiang’s cultural policies?

Answer 43

Culture was about entertainment as well as indoctrination.
After a hard week of work, people would want to go to the theatre to relax but had to watch Jiang’s pieces.

Question 44

Why did people rarely question Jiang’s policies?

Answer 44

Fear what might be done to them or their families

Question 45

How many years after Mao’s death, was there a grip on culture?

Answer 45

10 years

Question 46

[QUOTE] What did the poet Yan Yen say about culture during his time?

Answer 46

‘As a result of the Cultural Revolution, you could say the cultural trademark of my generation is that we have no culture.

Question 47

20 years after Jiang’s policies, who reflected on the CR, related to Deng?

Answer 47

Deng’s son Pufang.

Question 48

[QUOTE] What did Pufang say about the CR?

Answer 48

‘The Cultural Revolution was not just a disaster for the party, for the country, but for all the people. We were all victims, people of several generations. One hundred million people were its victims.’