Ep. 1: Chinese Fiction in the Reform & Opening Up Era
Oct 10, 2023
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The podcast discusses the power of Chinese literature after the Cultural Revolution, shifts in Chinese literature during the Reform and Opening Up era, the influence of daily life and ordinary values in China, the grim situation of dissent in China, and the challenges faced by Chinese writers.
54:18
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Quick takeaways
Chinese fiction in the Reform and Opening Up era reflected societal ramifications of politics, with intense political complaint during the Shanghai and Winter period, and later saw a trend towards modernist writing.
Serious fiction in China has experienced a decline in readership and influence since the 1980s, with major literary magazines and monthlies seeing a steep decline in distribution, while popular fiction about businessmen and urban life gained popularity.
Deep dives
Chinese fiction and its influence on China's economic reform
Chinese fiction has played a significant role in reflecting and being influenced by China's decades of economic reform and opening up. The intense political complaint during the Shanghai and Winter period exemplified how writers captured the societal ramifications of politics. The fascination with breaking into forbidden zones led to widespread popularity and collective catharsis. However, the brakes were eventually put on, and a trend towards modernist writing emerged. Wang Shuo became a prominent figure in urban fiction, using satire to expose and ridicule moralistic ideals. While serious fiction declined in popularity, popular forms of fiction, like business-related novels, gained traction. Despite censorship challenges, there remains resilience and a desire to find alternative ways to express dissent.
Shifts in Chinese literature readership
Since the 1980s, serious fiction in China has experienced a decline in readership and influence. Major literary magazines and monthlies that once reached millions of readers have seen a steep decline in distribution. Popular fiction, particularly about businessmen and urban life, gained popularity while serious fiction catered to a smaller audience. The advent of the internet expanded the possibilities for creative expression, but the intensified repression under the current government has further restricted freedom of speech. Civil society in China has significantly dwindled, and self-censorship has become prevalent. While individual rebels continue to emerge, the future of major change and political reform seems uncertain in the near term.
Challenges and pessimism in combating censorship
The fight against censorship in China has been ongoing, with individuals finding creative ways to circumvent restrictions. However, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, repression has intensified, leading to a significant reduction in civil society and the silencing of courageous and creative writers. The regime's control over digital platforms and extensive propaganda efforts have further limited the impact of dissenting voices. This has resulted in a bleak outlook for major change and political reform, especially in regards to freeing up cultural and political spheres. The constraints faced by Chinese writers and the narrowing space for resistance have compelled some writers to shift to writing in English or exile themselves. The current conditions make it challenging to foresee significant positive transformations in the foreseeable future.
Resilience and hope in uncertain times
Despite pessimism surrounding censorship and political reform, the power of daily life and garden values in China persists. Ordinary Chinese individuals continue to prioritize daily concerns such as food, clothing, shelter, and education. While the current environment may limit the ground-up movement for change, the resilience of individuals continues to fuel dissent and creative expression. Historically, periods of openness and change have emerged unexpectedly, and there remains a hope that similar moments will arise in the future. Though uncertain, the desire for more freedom and openness in China endures, and individuals will continue to find ways to express their thoughts and share their experiences within and outside of China.
China's epic transformation over the past four decades has seen cities expand, fortunes rise, and expectations change. It has left Chinese people to either ride the waves of change, or scramble -- perhaps struggle -- to keep up.
In the midst of it all, Chinese fiction has reflected and riffed on life on the ground, with humor, satire, pathos, and good old-fashioned story-telling. At times in the Reform and Opening Up era, Chinese fiction has even driven a national conversation.
This episode offers a conversation on all of this with two deeply knowledgeable guests:
Jianying Zha is a contributor to The New Yorker, and the critically acclaimed author of China Pop: How Soap Operas, Tabloids, and Bestsellers are Transforming a Culture (1996), Tide Players: The Movers and Shakers of a Rising China (2011), and other books and writing, both fiction and non-fiction, in both English and Chinese. Jianying was born and raised in Beijing, where she studied Chinese literature before moving to the United States in the early 1980s to study English literature. She has, in most of the years since, split time between China and the United States.
Perry Link is a deeply respected expert in Chinese language and literature, Chancellorial Chair Professor for Innovative Teaching Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages in College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, and an emeritus professor of East Asian studies at Princeton University. His books include Stubborn Weeds: Popular and Controversial Chinese Literature After the Cultural Revolution (Chinese Literature in Translation) (1984), Evening Chats in Beijing: Probing China's Predicament (1992), The Uses of Literature: Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System (2000), An Anatomy of Chinese: Rhythm, Metaphor, Politics (2013), and I Have No Enemies: The Life and Legacy of Liu Xiaobo (2023).
The China Books Podcast is a companion of China Books Review, a project of Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations and The Wire, a digital business platform that also publishes The Wire China. For any queries or comments, please write to editor[at]chinabooksreview.com.
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