Cultural Revolution At The Margins Analysis

In similar fashion to the past, the legal system of China is still deeply flawed, people are routinely abused by the government, and those with different belief systems and philosophies are still being oppressed by the government. By clinging to these ideals, which are shown to have failed, as the Qin dynasty fell in an extremely short time, China is not only condemning its citizens to a life in which they are afraid of the government, it is condemning itself to a repetition of history, to the eventual rebellion of those who are tired of being oppressed. In order to ensure the success of both China as a country and its people, the government must begin to serve the interests of the people, rather than the interests of political

Until reading Red Scarf Girl, I believed in that the ideal society could, no, would someday exist. But now I have been convinced otherwise. The youth of China believed that Mao’s purpose of the cultural revolution was to unify and strengthen their country. While this was later discovered to be untrue, they tried to accomplish that by bringing

Atwood parallels the Cultural Revolution in China to the how the Gilead government gains power and control over the United States. The Chinese communist leader, Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution to assert his control over the Chinese government. Zedong ordered the nation to cleanse themselves of “impure” aspects of Chinese society. This was done by shutting down schools and a massive youth mobilization. The students formed groups called the Red Guards, they attacked and harassed members of China’s elderly and

“Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart.

On the other hand, it leaves a kind of profound thinking about the typical ordinary Chinese ideology and how great is the impact of such a decision on people’s

It came to dominate my understanding of the discussion on the social and historical scene and to restrict my ability to participate in that discussion.(444) If we go back and use the reference again of the electronic tool we can see the struggle of being at home and communicating with her family and having an influence of capitalistic viewpoints and living the life of a capitalist, then immediately having to communicate in a different language at school and being surrounded by socialistic views and living the life of a socialist. Her thoughts were constantly flip-flopping and this became very frustrating for her. If we bring all these struggles into one main purpose, Min-Zhan Lu’s mother falls into silence two months before her death and Min-Zhan Lu attempts to “fill up that silence with words that I have since come to by reflecting on my earlier experience as a student in China.(437) The struggles that she faced growing up in China as a student and her past experiences have really helped her overcome life obstacles and develop her as a better reader and writer.

In response to Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, all texts focus on young women as they attempt to maneuver throughout the changing state. Mao’s attempted to preserve communist ideals after the failure of the Great Leap Forward by targeting the female youth. Red Azalea, Anchee Min endures tough labour on the farm while conforming to the Communist ideals of the female gender. Similarly, Rae Yang’s Spider Eaters focuses on the personal changes brought on by the Cultural Revolution. However, Wang Zheng’s Call me ‘Qingnian’ but not ‘funü’ was not written during the historical period. Instead, she writes of her propaganda filled childhood from a disillusioned state. I think Wang Zheng’s would pay attention to the usage of women’s bodies in the Red

Red Scarf Girl is a story of Jiang’s personal experience from the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and how it affected her and her family. Ji-Li Jiang is just a school-girl in the beginning of the book. One day, Jiang is asked to audition for a Liberation Army dance team. She is very excited about this, but then is told by her parents she cannot audition because she would not pass the background check. In the Chinese Cultural Revolution Mao wanted to get rid of the “four olds” of China.

During China’s Cultural Revolution, a large proportion of urban youth were forced to go to the countryside as a result of the state’s “send-down” policy (Xie). This experience was distressing for some youngsters as it disrupted ordinary life and the process of educational attainment. Students couldn’t express their opinions or reason with the government’s decision, because they did not dare to question Mao’s authority, therefore they had no other option but to conform to the officials. Mao Zedong was the ultimate figure that impeded the students’ educational and career path. Parental social status or political capital did not spare youths in certain privileged classes from being sent down to the countryside (Xie).

Secondly, the Cultural Revolution and the chaos and disaster this had on the Chinese population, especially through the “Down to the Countryside movement” and finally, the Cult of Mao and what the idolisation and glorification of Mao meant for the future of China. Mao’s introduction of the Great Leap Forward policy and the impacts and effects this had on the Chinese population as well as its role in the introduction of the Cultural Revolution played a key role in shaping China into what it is today. The plan’s failure lead to Mao’s loss of power, which resulted in Mao introducing the Cultural Revolution in China. Unfortunately, Mao’s five-year plan was a disaster, and caused the death of an estimated twenty to forty

The Chinese communist party gained much power after going after and attacking the Kuomintang and its anti communist policies into Taiwan. With the growth of the communist party’s power, the peasant and lower class experienced major influence that would change the course of their lives forever. Chinese peasants and the Chinese communist party between circa 1925 and circa 1950 had a relationship in which the party fostered and cared the state of the people. This created a sense of nationalism and pride for the peasants, while they were advocating social equality, and showing anti-Japanese sentiment. First of all, the Chinese communist party greatly influenced the peasant class in sparking and igniting a sense of nationalistic unity into the

Chapter three describes China under Japanese rule between 1938-1945 and it contains many subtle descriptions of Chinese oppression. Chang describes the hard work that her mother did in a factory. The experience “The girls were terrified. The combination of nervousness, cold, hunger, and fatigue led to many accidents. Over half of my mother’s fellow pupils suffered injuries.”

Ji Li Jiang was accused of exploitation by Du Hai and Yin Lan-lan due to the fact that her family has a housekeeper, takes pedicabs, and had “‘serious problems with her class standing’” (70). Daily, Ji Li and her younger sister and brother are victimized by their peers at school, due to the fact that their family was originally supported by a landlord, a career considered cruel to the working class. The Jiangs are put in the political spotlight consistently to illustrate the perspective of those who were affected by the bigotry of Maoism. Additionally, the destruction of unique thoughts was present in Ji Li’s struggle to blend in with the proletarian class.

Before Mao came to power, he was “born in a small farming village in the province of Hunan” (Anderson 1). This shows that even though Mao was a smart man intellect-wise, he had rural backgrounds. The intellects were denounced so Mao could maintain power and bring the poor with him to help him achieve power. Re-education was an event in the cultural revolution.

Final Research Question: What life lessons and experiences did the Cultural Revolution impose upon teenage students that could not be learned in a classroom?