A Study of Literary Trends in China Since the 1980s

The Revival of Classical and Modern Literature

Teresa Chi-Ching Sun

This book intends to trace the revival of traditional literary works since the 1980s in China as it is revealed on the revitalized College Entrance Examination (CEE). In order to show how these changes reflect China’s altering ideology after the fall of Communism, selections from the CEE’s literary portion will be examined. Taking advantage of the resurrection of the powerful CEE, test creators have composed the literary portion as an education tool to shape public opinion in the post-Communist era. Literature in China have never been an independent art but had shared the responsibility for transmitting China’s intellectual and ethical traditions. The introduction of Communism to China silenced these traditions and made literature the servant of political ideology. This book traces the chronological process of restoring modern vernacular literature from the pre-Communist era and the ways in which traditional literature is being used for modern purposes. For many Chinese intellectuals, the gradual withdrawal of literature for serving political causes and the reinstatement of classical literature and early vernacular works to on the CEE bring to light the recovery of the aesthetic literary tradition and a return to normalcy. When students take the CEE, they not only mentally scrutinize literature that they first read during their secondary education, but also experience an assertive presentation of current Chinese cultural values and outlooks on life. This study argues that in the post-1980s CEE literary selections, students experience a variety of texts that summon up China’s pre-Communist literary tradition in order to serve as an intellectual guiding light for future social development. For those interested in comparative higher education, a particular area of interest may be the book’s singular consideration of the science and technology passages in connection with the restructuring of higher education in China as a remedy of China’s cultural tradition.

Hamilton Books

Pages: 86 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-0-7618-7108-8 • Hardback • March 2019 • $75.00 • (£58.00)

978-0-7618-7109-5 • eBook • March 2019 • $71.00 • (£55.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Asian / Chinese, Education / Testing & Measurement

A Study of Literary Trends in China Since the 1980s

The Revival of Classical and Modern Literature

Hardback

eBook

Summary

This book intends to trace the revival of traditional literary works since the 1980s in China as it is revealed on the revitalized College Entrance Examination (CEE). In order to show how these changes reflect China’s altering ideology after the fall of Communism, selections from the CEE’s literary portion will be examined. Taking advantage of the resurrection of the powerful CEE, test creators have composed the literary portion as an education tool to shape public opinion in the post-Communist era. Literature in China have never been an independent art but had shared the responsibility for transmitting China’s intellectual and ethical traditions. The introduction of Communism to China silenced these traditions and made literature the servant of political ideology. This book traces the chronological process of restoring modern vernacular literature from the pre-Communist era and the ways in which traditional literature is being used for modern purposes. For many Chinese intellectuals, the gradual withdrawal of literature for serving political causes and the reinstatement of classical literature and early vernacular works to on the CEE bring to light the recovery of the aesthetic literary tradition and a return to normalcy. When students take the CEE, they not only mentally scrutinize literature that they first read during their secondary education, but also experience an assertive presentation of current Chinese cultural values and outlooks on life. This study argues that in the post-1980s CEE literary selections, students experience a variety of texts that summon up China’s pre-Communist literary tradition in order to serve as an intellectual guiding light for future social development. For those interested in comparative higher education, a particular area of interest may be the book’s singular consideration of the science and technology passages in connection with the restructuring of higher education in China as a remedy of China’s cultural tradition.

Details

Hamilton Books

Pages: 86 • Trim: 6½ x 9

978-0-7618-7108-8 • Hardback • March 2019 • $75.00 • (£58.00)

978-0-7618-7109-5 • eBook • March 2019 • $71.00 • (£55.00)

Subjects: Literary Criticism / Asian / Chinese, Education / Testing & Measurement

Author

TeresaChi-Ching Sun has taught Chinese cultural history at the University of California, Irvine, California State University at Los Angeles, California State University at Long Beach, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Her previous publications include The Admission Dispute: Asian Americans Versus University of California at Berkeley.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The CEE as a Reflection of Changing Chinese Politics

Chapter One

A Brief History of Chinese Literature and Politics from the End of the Imperial Period to the 1980s

Chapter Two

The Rise and Reversal of Communism as Reflected on the CEE (1950-1980)

Chapter Three

The Revival of Traditional Chinese Literature in the Modern Period: The CEE after 1980

Chapter Four

The CEE and the Scientific Turn: The Future of Literary Studies in China

Conclusion

China’s Renaissance and its Global Future

Bibliography

About the Author