maintained and China went back into semi-anarchy for the several years. 2. How was Mao Zedong’s philosophy different from other Chinese communists?…
Although generally regarded a presentation of academic background and kept at a distant from political turmoil, textbooks didn’t escape from the politicization during the Cultural Revolution; rather it bore witness to the Maoists’ attempt of upraising Mao Thought to an omnipresent, universal and unchallengeable place. Similar to the banners, posters and flyers in the public places, the textbooks also carry the task of occupying the visual space and establishing a monopoly of political voice.…
demonstration of it’s citizens. The use of military force to clear protesters from China’s historically and politically significant Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989 was the result of a tumultuous debate about the direction China must follow in the post-Mao era among its’ political leaders who felt their hand was forced to ensure the progress and stability of China’s future by a student movement that voiced serious concerns over the speed and legitimacy of proposed reforms. The demonstrations…
As a film that roots in the realities of Chinese peasants’ life and recent Chinese history, Huang Tu Di (1984) is a film that revolves around a young soldier from the Eighth Route Army’s propaganda department called GuQing who went to the destitute Shaanxi village to collect folk tunes for adaptation by the Party for propaganda and polemical use. As he lives with his assigned family in the village, Gu learns about the hardships of being a peasant and in particular, the dilemma of a peasant young…
Mao mobilized the campaign in hopes of turning a country dependent on agriculture into a socialist power through rapid industrialization. Focusing on industry, Mao sought government control over the farms of the peasants. All foods were severely rationed and prices skyrocketed as a result. Heng finishes his description of the era with…
The novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie contains an examination of power and its limitations, especially as it relates to attempts to control others. Power is a multifaceted thing, and people have power over others in some ways while lacking it others. The novel takes place during the Cultural Revolution, and the Chinese government attempts to use its power to shape people and society as it sees fit. Luo and the narrator are expected to submit to the process of…
“When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists” wrote Lao Tzu. This passage highlights how Taoist view passivity to govern. “Tao Te Ching” written by Lao Tzu is a classic book on Chinese philosophy that was completed in the 4th century BC. Tao Te Ching translates to “The book of the Way of Virtues” in English. This book has 81 extremely short yet poetic chapters, which are filled with a variety of meaningful messages conveyed in a riddle-like form that takes readers into…
It vowed to eliminate the difference between social classes and to render justice to all. It was true that under Mao, policies such as land reform, antirightist campaigns and Cultural Revolution, were carried out in very brutal way and targeted the regime’s political enemies. But they were also accepted by many as necessary and just in the sense that they made the…
Since the end of the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949, Republic of China (ROC), also known as Taiwan, and mainland China, People’s Republic of China (PRC) had been in a state of conflict for the rightful control of the nation. The Nationalist party that retreated to ROC had established a new democracy and had the political recognition as China until 1979 when PRC was recognized as the official political head by the United States and most countries. The Taiwanese democracy provided many…
I will talk about my view of Deng’s biggest achievements and mistakes on his policies on Tibet. When we come to his achievements in policies on Tibet, he tried hard to come up with methods to improve the relationship between the leaders in Beijing and Tibetans when Deng came to power, such as reestablish relations with Dalai Lama by achieving this in late 1978 when Deng became the leader of China . But this is not enough to reduce the hostilities and contradiction of Tibetan minority towards the…