From this perspective, this study focuses on issues related to the canon, as shown in the case of the inclusion/exclusion of Lu Xun's works in Chinese middle and high school textbooks, in order to explore the process of canon formation. In light of global debates about the traditional canon, this study has observed changes in the representation of Lu Xun's works in middle and high school Chinese textbooks since 1920. This indicates a complex process of canon formation, as shown in how Lu Xun's works have actually been historically presented in Chinese textbooks.
From this perspective, the study points to instabilities in Lu Xun's canonization in China in relation to the changes in the formation and reformation of the Chinese canon. Thus, some of Lu Xun's articles appeared in different versions of the Middle and High School Chinese textbooks at that time. HOW LU XUN POSITIONED IN MAINSTREAM POLITICAL CULTURE AFTER THE FOUNDING OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF “THE COMEDY OF THE DUCKS” FROM 1952 ONWARDS As the author mentioned in this study, the most popular work by Lu Xun during
It is therefore clear that teaching materials can be a comprehensive reflection of a country's political culture; in turn, the national political culture plays an important role in guiding the writing of the teaching material. To be discussed in the following sections for comparison are the stories that appeared in different historical periods, namely "The comedy of the ducks", "The kite" and "The true story of Ah Q.". After examining the changes of Lu Xun's works in the various versions of the Middle School and High School Chinese textbooks, it is interesting to mention the following changes to illustrate how Lu Xun was used as cultural capital.
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF "THE DUCKS' COMEDY" FROM 1952 As the author mentioned in this study, Lu Xun's most popular work during. The Comedy of the Ducks' was written in 1922, based on Lu Xun's friendship with the Russian blind poet Eroshenko; in it, the vivid descriptions of Eroshenko's interest in animals showed the poet's unique personality. In the last paragraph of the story, Lu Xun expressed his nostalgic feelings about Eroshenko and suggested why he made this work.
The introduction to Middle School Fundamental Chinese Textbook (Two) by Shanghai Commercial Press in the 1930s states that "the author cherishes the memory of the days with Eroshenko; his humorous depictions of ducks eating tadpoles represent the author's kind, humorous and lovely personality.". Although it is well known that China followed the practice of the Soviet Union to become a socialist country, and indeed there were some periods when two countries had a close relationship with each other, the reality was far more complicated due to the "smokeless war" between the leaders of the two countries Thus, "The Comedy of the Ducks" was deleted from the 1952 version of the Chinese textbook, signaling the start of China's silent resistance.
The deletion of the "Duck Comedy" has more of a symbolic meaning that signifies the beginning of the journey for equality between the two countries. EXPLORATIONS ON THE CHINESE SUBJECT AND CHINESE EDUCATION IN 1956 The division of the Chinese subject into language education and literature.
THE EXPLORATIONS ON CHINESE SUBJECT AND CHINESE EDUCATION IN 1956 The division of the Chinese subject into language education and literature
After Mao Zedong rejected Stalin's suggestion to join the Kuomintang, conflicts between them began to emerge. Stalin was unhappy with Mao Zedong's disobedience; meanwhile, Mao Zedong was opposed to Stalin's dominance. This version of the Chinese textbooks lasted only two years and was replaced because it "fails to highlight politics, which means it weakens political education."
Thus, in 1957 the instrumental function of the Chinese subject was again highlighted by the government; consequently, more critical essays by Lu Xun entered the Chinese textbooks.
THE EFFECTS OF THE SPLIT FROM THE SOVIET UNION
LU XUN’S SOLO DURING THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION (1966-1976)
Lu Xun could never have imagined that what he described as political repression of artistic expression (Lu Xun, Complete 7: 113) would ironically happen to him. Other intellectuals who experienced repression were demoted as "stinking old nines" (Chinese idiom for the lowest class in Chinese society) and forced into manual labor during the Cultural Revolution because the government insisted that "writers are the ones who stir up trouble." social" (Lu Xun, Complete 7: 118). In Lu Xun's case, his literary productions were misread and arbitrarily interpreted in accordance with the nation's demands to prove the correctness of state policy and ideology, even the validity of Cultural Revolution.
Wang Ban, in his The Sublime Figure of History: Aesthetics and Politics in Twentieth-Century China, argues that politics can be productive if it can transform itself into art, because it “embodies the abstract telos of history and inspires the people with discouragement and awe . -inspiring figures” (192). In the context of the predicament that China went through from 1949 to 1976, it can be said that what Mao Zedong did in Lu Xun's canonization was understandable, if opportunistic. Lu Xun's works were included in middle school and high school Chinese textbooks during these 17 years, so the design of the curriculum must have left extremely far-reaching influences on several generations that grew up after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The reason for the influence is that the mass public only had the chance to receive formal education after the founding of the People's Republic of China, which enabled them to become more closely acquainted with Lu Xun and his works. Moreover, Chinese language teaching was so strongly influenced by the domestic political environment that assumed that the teaching of Lu Xun's works was intended to advocate the proletarian ideology and eliminate the bourgeois ideology. OPEN-DOOR POLICY AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE MARKET ECONOMY With the collapse of the Gang of Four, which declared the end of the Cultural.
OPEN-DOOR POLICY AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE MARKET ECONOMY With the collapse of the Gang of Four, which declared the end of the Cultural
The True Story of Ah Q," Lu Xun's best-known fictional creation of the Chinese commoner, tells a thoroughly delicately woven tale of the foibles of the Chinese national character. Ironically, Ah Q feels no sorrow for his wretched life, but sublimates all his faults in the fantasy of psychological victories and belief that he was humiliated by his "son" and such.Thus, Ah Q's lack of identity and the author's intention to suggest the loss of self in the character was successfully established.
He is overjoyed at a comment from the landlord and lives in the nature of an animal: when he is hungry, he goes in search of food; and when he is cold, he seeks shelter. In the story, the shortcomings of the Chinese national character, as reflected in Ah Q and his fellow villagers, are vividly portrayed by Lu Xun. The True Story of Ah Q' was written in 1921 because of Lu Xun's concern for the fate of the Chinese nation and his determination to be its spiritual doctor.
Explanations such as "there are distinct differences between the social settings of Lu Xun's works and that of present-day China"2 do not provide a convincing account of the disappearance of "The True Story of Ah Q". So Lu Xun created a story to help people know how to "see", in the hope that their self-awareness could be reawakened. Many scholars agree that Lu Xun's contribution to the country lies not only in literature, but also in his reflections on Chinese society and his courageous spirit to question orthodoxies and authorities.
In the name of developing a modern culture, the Party's ideology succeeded in standardizing the citizens' identity. On the contrary, it can be argued that it is still meaningful to re-read "The True Story of Ah Q" in today's China to critically distance oneself from the fast-paced society that has made people aimlessly and aimlessly rush forward.
The Kite that flies away
Lu Xun's despair was due to the conflict between traditional and modern culture, the paradox between self-fulfillment and the hope for the positive communal environment. The split personality of "Ah Q" embodies Lu Xun's desire to criticize social reality, awaken the Chinese from sleep to change it. Similarly, Lu Xun's other works remain relevant by criticizing current social and political issues.
The negative descriptions of the Chinese character and tragic endings in his works suggest, in the words of Rey Chow, Lu Xun's refusal “to use his own developed tools to create false feelings of optimism for oppressed classes. The point here is that the deletion revealed the ambivalence of the central government's attitude towards Confucianism in relation to pre-revolutionary China, and Lu Xun became the sacrificial lamb in the dominant power game. Otherwise, as Lu Xun says in “The Divergent Roads of Art and Politics”: “I have always felt that art and politics are often in conflict.
In short, Lu Xun's works are performative in a sense, as they were constructed to create a "Lu Xun effect" for teenagers to perform certain functions and create effects in society. The ups and downs of Lu Xun's works in the past century mainly concerned the practice of the power play of dominant forces and institutions in society. By establishing Lu Xun's authority as legitimate and persuasive, Lu Xun became a kind of cultural capital that could be passed on.
But from an appreciation of the modern aesthetic and use of the vernacular by the Chinese readers to its use by the state's propaganda machinery, to the changes in the representations of his works in Chinese textbooks, Lu Xun seemed to occupy an unstable space who 's hybridity has shifted between the aesthetic and the political throughout modern Chinese history. Julia Lovell on the translation of Lu Xun's complete fiction: 'His is an angry, searing vision of China.'” 11 Nov.
