Reinventing Chinese Tradition: The Cultural Politics of Late Socialism (Interp Culture New Millennium)

Description

The final destination of the Long March and center of the Chinese Communist Party's red bases, Yan'an acquired mythical status during the Maoist era. Though the city's significance as an emblem of revolutionary heroism has faded, today's Chinese still glorify Yan'an as a sanctuary for ancient cultural traditions. Ka-ming Wu's ethnographic account of contemporary Yan'an documents how people have reworked the revival of three rural practices--paper-cutting, folk storytelling, and spirit cults--within (and beyond) the socialist legacy. Moving beyond dominant views of Yan'an folk culture as a tool of revolution or object of market reform, Wu reveals how cultural traditions become battlegrounds where conflicts among the state, market forces, and intellectuals in search of an authentic China play out. At the same time, she shows these emerging new dynamics in the light of the ways rural residents make sense of rapid social change. Alive with details, Reinventing Chinese Tradition is an in-depth, eye-opening study of an evolving culture and society within contemporary China. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Paper-Cuts in Modern China: The Search for Modernity, Cultural Tradition, and Women’s Liberation Chapter 2. Narrative Battle: Fabricating Folk Paper-Cutting as an Intangible Heritage Chapter 3. Traditional Revival with Socialist Characteristics: Propaganda Storytelling Turned into Spiritual Service Chapter 4. Folk Cultural Production with Danwei Characteristics: Folk Storytelling and Public Relations Activities Chapter 5. Spirit Cults in Yan’an: Surrogate Rural Subjectivity in the Urbanizing Rural Conclusion Notes Glossary References Index