Discussion Prompts 1

Discussion prompts1

Table of Contents

1As we have seen, Chinese society had transformed into several independent classes from both urban and rural areas in the 20th century. What could unite these different classes into a whole? When you look at the world today, what are the major forces that unite people together within a nation? Please share your thoughts with us.

2Based on the study of the evolution of Western societies, Marx assumed that societies would go through a capitalist phase before attaining socialism. Why is this assumption problematic when applied to 20th century China?

3The period after the fall of the Qing, from around 1912 to the late 1930s, is sometimes seen as an interregnum or “waiting period” until the Communist Party of China finally rises to power. Yet the period of Nationalist rule from 1927 to 1937 has been called a “golden decade.” What might China look like today if Chiang Kai-shek had continued to rule the mainland after 1949? Discuss.

4What does the old phrase "Good metal is not used to hammer a nail, good Chinese men are not used for soldiers" 好鐵不打釘/好漢不當兵 tell us about Chinese views of military culture?

5Look through the following video footage taken in China during the Great Leap Forward years 1959-1961 below. What do you conclude from the video about the state of China at this point in its history? What forms of social organization do you notice? What evidence do you see for a new society of Communist China?

6How does singing the national anthem at baseball games in the United States create a sense of cultural unity? Or does it? What other ways of creating cultural unity can you identify in your country today?

7Read the following excerpt from Chen Duxiu's "Call to Youth," written in 1915. How does the author define freedom and slavery? Who is his intended audience? Does the call to "be independent, not servile!" provide a viable solution to the problems facing China in the 1910s and 20s?

8Now that you have read Scene 5 of The Red Lantern, consider: What does the Red Lantern of Li Yuhe's family symbolize? What connection does it hold to the communist party?

9After reading Scene 5 and 6 of The Red Lantern, why do you think Jiang Qing wanted to show this particular opera to the Chinese public? Is this story entertaining? What do you think was the message of the story? Are you convinced by its message? Why or why not?

10If art under Mao Zedong's cultural revolution is meant to be imitated in life, then how should we be living according to what you see in this clip? What models of conduct do you see?

11After reading and watching and listening to various cultural outputs from the May 4th Movement to the Cultural Revolution, using evidence (giving specific examples) from these pieces, what role do you think culture played in society during this period? How does culture relate to revolution? You may choose to focus on a specific era or look at the whole period.

12In 1942 Mao Zedong issued his "Talks on Yan'an Forum on Art and Literature." in 1966, 24 years later, he launched the Cultural Revolution. What connection do you see between his views of art here and the function of art during the Cultural Revolution?

13We generally think of expansion of highways and railways as a good thing, and for good reasons. What do you think are some of the effects of China's expanding highway and railway system?

14Please read the "PREFACE" and "A PROJECT TO ASSIST THE READJUSTMENT OF POST-BELLUM INDUSTRIES" (page 1-10) of The International Development of China by Sun Yat-sen. As you read consider: Of all of Sun Yat-sen’s ideas mentioned, which one do you believe was his best idea, why?

15Unlike the northern capital Beijing, which was re-developed in Soviet style by the communists, Nationalist's plans for Nanjing included the preservation of ancient ruins, such as the city wall. Go onto the following list of UNESCO site candidates and answer: What four features of Nanjing's city wall distinguish it from other similar sites?

16We can watch the following videos of Nanjing, Shanghai, and Beijing as a competition of cities. What is promoted about these cities? What is the role of history and modernity in each video? Finally, do you think there are more similarities or differences between the portrayals of Chinese cities seen here?

17Why did study abroad and cultural exchanges not result in closer political relations between the United States and China before the 1940s?

18Watch the following clip from “Why We Fight,” an American wartime film. What does it tell us about American views of China? What does it tell us about China?

Probably the easiest way to unite these different groups would be a common goal, or better yet, a common enemy, that forces them to work together over an extended period of time. A common goal could be the need for internal development, be it political, agricultural, economical, or even ecological; however, these kinds of goals tend to not interest all concerned parties equally, let alone each single person. External goals, like a common enemy, tend to work much better in the long run as everyone could potentially agree (or be made to agree) that “these foreign devils are evil”. Also, this is pretty consistent with previous dynastic attempts to unite all under one roof: one common thread in Chinese history is the call to arms against the foreign invaders.

The revolution had already started with the creation of a Socialist party, while a convenient bourgeoisie was still largely missing. The idea of going ahead without this crucial element in society was inconceivable to the Russian advisors. They ended up creating their own most powerful nemesis by assisting a Nationalist government to grow strong and ultimately getting rid of the Russian advisors.

Chiang Kai-shek appears to have had a pretty good understanding of the power play involved with the intervention of Comintern in Chinese national matters. I can only assume that he understood clearly that he was being played – especially since he was familiar with the underlying Socialist philosophy and obviously managed to get rid of the Russian influence at some point. A different route taken in 1949, without the Socialist/Communist rise, would most likely have led to China falling into smaller pieces once again, but also to a chance for those smaller pieces to experiment with diverse options of government. A quick look back in history shows that periods of non-unified China usually led to a good deal of diversity with one ultimate part reintegrating the bits and pieces under one rule at last. In this case, I would not bet my fortune on a final reunification, but I am pretty certain that in this post-WW2 world, the Communist party would likely have had a hard time with Chiang Kai-shek still around. I would imagine China – if it still existed as one blocky unit – to look something like India today: multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-party and parliamentary.

4What does the old phrase "Good metal is not used to hammer a nail, good Chinese men are not used for soldiers" 好鐵不打釘/好漢不當兵 tell us about Chinese views of military culture?

The military was not supposed to be a way to forge a career for good, important men. Also, someone who is part of the military would not be seen in high regard, rather as someone who could not make it properly any other way, like as an official, or even a trader.

The first thing that comes to mind is a the very organized life that has been set out for people: the ultimate goal for the young appears to be an army-like existence, be it in the army (or the youth organizations), the work force, even the school children march in lines. As the reporter says: “everything is well organized”. Despite all that “modernism”, a lot of archaic elements like the wood-burning bus, the scarcity of cars and general presence of man-powered vehicles remain and shine a different light on society and its main goals and objectives. Clearly, modernism and progress is seen in terms of the advancement of power and influence. The liberation of Taiwan was on everybody’s mind, which fits perfectly into this idea of enlarging the power base and influence sphere.

In terms of new sign of the new society, there appears to be a more liberal mixing of different groups of people: it seems that societal background has become less important, although I dare to assume that this is only skin deep and below that thin layer of equality there lies a depth of inequality that outs itself in other ways than clothing or political allegiance.

Singing a song that everyone knows clearly creates a bond, and if the person next to you is someone you would not initially have considered your equal, you now have something in common. Repeat this realization over and over and you’ll end believing that there is a proper bond to all people around you. This practice has been used for a long time, very successfully so by organized religion, the military, youth organizations, schools, any organized body really that relies on uniformity and the belief therein.

Growing up in Germany we were discouraged to develop any feelings of pride in our nation: the Federal Republic of Germany (West) was considered a thing of practical use, whereas in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Germany things worked very similar to what we can see in the USSR in those days: military-like marches, masses singing revolutionary songs, obligatory participation in youth organizations and the like. When Germany held the World Cup, German flags were suddenly present everywhere and the feelings about this were mixed: wouldn’t this awaken old nationalist feelings? In aftersight, this certainly was a valid concern, but the nationalist feelings that may be present were there before, I’m sure, while the feeling of belonging to a German nation state have to be separated from the idea the radical nationalist ideas that are in evidence as well.

The author defines a “free” person as one who is making his own decisions, is responsible for himself, speaks up and takes care of his or her own life. The title “Call to Youth” states clearly that this is something directed at the youth (how “youth” is defined is left open, it could simply mean anyone with an open mind for change, I suppose).

As for the repercussions of such words as we just read, I am very much in favour of the sentiment, in principle. In practice, this kind of behavior would undoubtedly lead to anarchy and destruction of any kind of hierarchy, including any of the options discussed in earlier weeks of this course. The whole idea starts with the supposition that every person is good to start with, which practice tells us very often is not the case. Also, there is the very human fear of sticking your head out of the masses and being different. It’s fine to voice your beliefs, but what if you are surrounded by people who believe something else? If all of them are in disagreements as well, you’ll just end up with a mess, but as soon as some of the these others follow the same ideas, they probably want to avoid hearing other ideas and beliefs and might start to oppress them.

So either the new thoughts or the old ideas will eventually have to be eradicated. If history tells us anything, unfortunately that is what happens in almost every case.

8Now that you have read Scene 5 of The Red Lantern, consider: What does the Red Lantern of Li Yuhe's family symbolize? What connection does it hold to the communist party?

The Red Lantern symbolizes the ongoing revolution of the people. The family represents the people of China (or the world?) who are about to come into their own right by removing their enemies. The Japanese here represent the enemy, but this could be interpreted very largely as ANY kind of enemy: Japanese, reactionaries, the old traditional China, old culture. The idea of a family that is not bound by blood would be very appealing to those whose family is non-existent or would not understand the individual’s goals. Also, the image of a family bound by principles would be very useful for a revolutionary group as it binds them together in a way that is stronger than family ties, as evidenced in the support of the neighbor’s (traditional) family. The Communist Party would be pleased by this interpretation and use of metaphor as it symbolizes the possibility to unite all that subscribe to this way of thinking, while excluding all those who don’t- and clearly marking them for exclusion as well.

The story is certainly something you would want to continue watching, but I find it pretty predictable. The main goal would certainly not have been entertainment as its own goal, but rather a means to tell another story about Communism and its moral superiority over other forms, in this case especially Capitalism. The fact that Li is prepared to give his life for his comrades is meant to be a reassurance for all Communists that their suffering will at some point end because of the support of their comrades who’d rather die than betray thee others. Wang, however, has betrayed the cause and sided with the enemy, so he must be portrayed as badly as possible, in this case as a “mangy dog”, as opposed to the heroic personality that Li is made out to be.

To me the message is clear, but does not convince me at all: having to give up any personal aspirations, especially being around to see my (adoptive) daughter grow up and be happy, or even just well-nourished.

10If art under Mao Zedong's cultural revolution is meant to be imitated in life, then how should we be living according to what you see in this clip? What models of conduct do you see?

We should be living as equals, free of constraints, lead the revolution forward, be ready to sacrifice ourselves for the good of society as a whole, women and men should be equal.

The models of conduct portrayed in this ballet are ambivalent, to say the least. Yes, there is equality, helping others, distribution of goods, and all that, of course. But there is also a lot of violence, a single-mindedness more commonly associated with crime, a determination that can easily be interpreted as ruthlessness. All in all a mixed bag, to my mind.

Of course, all this was propaganda, but I have to admit, it’s well presented, beautifully set in scene and the quality of dance is pretty good, especially the prima ballerina is astounding.