Lesson 4-Why did the Communists attempt to change Chinese culture? Flashcards
Proletarian
Non-property owning working class
What were the Ten Great Buildings designed to do?
Showcase the ‘new’ China
Between what years were the Ten Great Building rapidly constructed?
1958-59
Why were the Ten Great Buildings rapidly constructed?
So they could be ready for the tenth anniversary celebration on 1st October 1959 (10 years after Mao announced the creation of PRC)
What were some of the Ten Great Buildings?
Beijing’s new railway station
Cultural Palace of Nationalities
Worker’s stadium
Several state hotels and guesthouses
What did the architectural style of the Ten Great Buildings reflect?
The influence of the Soviet advisers, as well as traditional Chinese architecture.
What was the May Fourth Movement of 1919?
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.
What were Agit-Prop touring groups?
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).
What was encouraged at towards agit-prop touring groups?
Audience participation in jeering the bad and cheering the good.
What were agit-prop touring group plays for adults?
Pantomimes
What was culture for Mao?
A separate, detached aspect of society
From 1930, what 6 things did Mao teach about culture?
- Culture was central not peripheral
- Throughout history, the culture of every society was the direct product of the values laid down by the ruling class.
- Now that China was a proletarian society, the culture had to be proletarian.
- Eradication of bourgeois culture could not be done gently or with persuasion-had to be done by force.
- Class enemies needed to be crushed
- Revolution is an insurrection. Culture is about the lives of the people.
What did Mao mean by culture was central not peripheral (secondary)?
It was a nation’s culture that define its character
What did Mao mean by culture being a direct product of the values laid down by the ruling class?
Culture was the means by which rulers imposed their control over the people.
What had to be done so that culture could match the proletarian society?
All traces of previous bourgeois culture had to be eradicated
Why did the eradication of bourgeois culture have to be done by force?
No ruling class ever gives up its power willingly.
What did Mao mean by revolution is an insurrection and culture was about the lives of the people?
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.
What did Mao say was all creative artists’ first duty?
To serve the people
What did Mao say the work of creative artists should do?
Further the cause of the revolution
What could creative artists not do?
Can’t give time to self-expression.
Can’t do art for art’s sake.
What was required in order to impose new culture?
Destruction of old attitudes
What did the May 1919 movement regard old Confucian ideal as?
A barrier for change
How did the Land Reform of 1950 and the breaking of the power of the landlords have a big impact on breaking traditional values?
Before CR, aim was to undermine traditional peasant customs.
Collectives and communes allowed the CCP regiment (control) daily life.
How were ideals reinforced?
By watching shows and propaganda films put on by agit-prop touring groups.
In June 1966, what did Chen Boda’s editorial in the People’s Daily urge Red Guards to do?
Sweep away the monsters and demons.
Who was Jiang Qing in regards to new Chinese culture?
Creator in chief
What responsibility did Jiang Qing have as a creator in chief of the new Chinese culture?
Turning general denunciation of China’s four olds into a definite suppression of traditional Chinese society.
What was Jiang Qing known as in regards to culture?
The cultural purifier of the nation
How did Jiang Qing apply herself to her job as creator in chief of new Chinese culture?
With fanatical (keen/extreme) zeal
What things did Jiang Qing do in her job for culture?
- Imposed a rigid system of censorship
- Only those writings. art works, broadcast programmes and films which had directly relevant contemporary Chinese themes were permitted.
- Western music, classical and pop was banned
- Traditional Chinese opera was ruled out
What did Qing’s rigid system of censorship deny?
Public showing or performance to any work which did not meet her criteria of revolutionary purity
What was traditional Chinese opera replaced by?
A repertoire (collection) of specially commissioned contemporary works
What did Qing reject all non-Proletarian culture as?
Political correctness
Who is Zhou Guanrun?
Professor of music
What did Guanrun recall Qing’s orders against bourgeois culture had done?
Terrorised the staff at Beijing Conservatoire (music academy) into silence.
No music sounded anymore.
Since music was no longer heard at the Beijing Conservatoire, what was happening there?
Everybody was just learning and doing self-criticisms or accepting criticisms from other students.
By what year was the assault on traditional culture producing an artistic wasteland?
1970
What was the attack on traditional culture producing in relation to the arts?
An artistic wasteland
What happened to artists who were reluctant to embrace new rules and rigidities?
Were denounced and sent for re-education
Example of re-education.
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.
Why were musicians denied tools and made to scratch at the ground with their hands?
So they would loose the vital sensitivity in their fingers and never be able to play well again.
How often were attempts made to question Jiang?
Rarely
What did Deng daringly suggest about Jiang’s cultural policies?
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.
Why did people rarely question Jiang’s policies?
Fear what might be done to them or their families
How many years after Mao’s death, was there a grip on culture?
10 years
[QUOTE] What did the poet Yan Yen say about culture during his time?
‘As a result of the Cultural Revolution, you could say the cultural trademark of my generation is that we have no culture.
20 years after Jiang’s policies, who reflected on the CR, related to Deng?
Deng’s son Pufang.
[QUOTE] What did Pufang say about the CR?
‘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.’
