Topic 4 - Social and Cultural Changes from 1949-76 - Cultural Changes Flashcards
Attacks on traditional culture - What did Mao believe about culture?
Mao believed culture could be used as a way of controlling the thoughts of the people and to inculcate Communist ideology
Attacks on traditional culture - What did land reforms and the reunification campaigns do to culture?
- Many features of traditional culture simply swept away – land reforms of the 1950s brought an end to traditional festivals such as the Lantern Festival and the New Year
- The reunification campaigns had a terrible impact on traditional culture in Tibet and Xinjiang, Buddhism and Islam respectively
- Confucianism and ancestor worship were condemned as backwards superstitions
Attacks on traditional culture - What did agit-prop groups do?
- Agit-prop groups toured the country to convince people to abandon old traditions, customs and habits and instead to follow Communism
Attacks on traditional culture - What was the impact of communes during the GLF?
The ability of the CP to monitor and control culture was greatly enhanced when the peasants were forced into communes during the GLF
Attacks on traditional culture - Impact of the Four Olds?
- In Aug 1966 Mao launched the ‘Four Olds’ campaign to destroy old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits
- Religious artefacts and temples were destroyed and philosophical books were burnt
- Religious shrines in peasants houses were replaced by pics of Mao
- Street names were renamed
- Customs such as paying respects by burning money or incense at the graves of ancestors were discouraged
Attacks on traditional culture - Were the Four Olds completely successful?
Despite the ferocity of the Four Olds campaign, the CCP was not entirely successful as customs and traditions were too engrained to be completely wiped out
The role of Jiang Qing - What was Jiang Qing appointed to by Mao and what was her ambition?
- In 1966, Mao appointed Jiang Qing, his fourth wife, to the CCRG (Central Cultural Revolution Group)
- Her ambition was to destroy Chinese culture and replace it with revolutionary communism
The role of Jiang Qing - What did Jiang Qing censor and ban?
Imposed censorship of music, theatre, and art and banned any performances that encouraged old fashioned ‘feudal’ ideas such as romance, aspirations for wealth and property or respect for family
The role of Jiang Qing - What did her previous career mean for her new role?
Her previous career as an actress meant that she felt qualified to rewrite performances – she sometimes attended rehearsals and gave orders for the actors to portray communism more positively
The role of Jiang Qing - Power and status before, during and after the CR?
- Before the CR, Jiang Qing did not have a significant role
- Her new role as ’Cultural Tsar’ gave her huge power and influence and led to her becoming one of the most important leaders in China
- In 1969 she joined the Politburo and later became a member of the Gang of Four – a group that hoped to take over after Mao
The role of Jiang Qing - What did she use the CR to do?
- She used the CR as cover to pure anyone who knew about her bourgeois past as an actress in Shanghai
- She attacked them so they would not be able to ruin her attempt to increase her own power
- She only had power due to her relationship with Mao, but since Mao was elderly, she needed to develop her own political authority if she wanted to survive after his death
- She used the CR both as an attempt to intimidate her enemies and to rid herself of anyone who might prevent her rise to power
The imposition of revolutionary art and culture - What was banned during the CR and who were fired?
- Performances of foreign works banned
- Writers, directors and actors fired or blacklisted – some attacked by RGs others committed suicide to escape the violence
The imposition of revolutionary art and culture - What did now plays and operas do and what did they replace?
- All new plays and Operas glorified communism
- Works that featured traditional habits, customs, and ideas were replaced by plays and operas that advocated the Communist ideology
The imposition of revolutionary art and culture - What was the slogan of culture during the CR and what did this lead to?
- ‘Make it revolutionary or ban it’ was the slogan during the CR
- There were only 8 new operas and plays allowed
- China during the CR has been described as a ‘cultural desert’
The imposition of revolutionary art and culture - What was the reaction to the new cultural style?
- After initial interest, the lack of diversity became boring ‘8 shows for 800 million people’
- Even Communist leaders complained – Deng Xiaoping said that ‘people wanted to go to the theatre to relax but instead they find themselves on a battlefield’
