A Century of Revolution 1976 1997 Chinese History Film Discussion

PROMPT

With specific references to the video, how does the focus of this course differ from standard narratives of post-Mao China since 1976?  For instance, what topics have we covered that the documentary does not?  And vice-versa: what does the documentary cover that we have spent less time on?  Think about these different ways to study (and teach) history.

Note: Add specific evidence from the assigned readings/videos to SUPPORT, at least 250 words

YouTube ?China – A Century of Revolution – Part Three 1976-1997, Author :Son of Africa  1hours 52 mins

REPLY TO 

1 ? I think the documentary mainly focused on telling a narrative of how these different changes in China from 1976-94 from the perspectives of different groups within China. It told a story of the different impacts and different policies had on peasants during the time and the perspectives they took on the different reforms and changes happening on the time. I thought it was an interesting way to frame the story as I feel like it is a perspective that is glossed over in favor for the perspective of leaders and government officials. Instead it took the time to explain the goals of peasants from being fed, the welcoming of Deng Xiaoping for providing that food, the discontent from later being left behind in the economic surge and later the indifference to political movements at the time. Later in the video, it also painted a picture of the rising student movement and the factors that lead to it like China opening up and the expression of free thought in Universities. While telling the stories of these students, it also told a larger story of how this movement came to be and the economic and political changes that lead to the Tiananmen square protests.

I think the topics covered in class take a much different approach to studying this time period in China. Rather than targeting the stories of specific groups of people I think we focused more on looking at the structural and economic impacts in China during this period and the factors that lead to these things. For example, we spent a lot of time covering the climate crisis to paint a picture of how China’s economic development bring light to a larger issue about capitalism and what that kind of system encourages in exchange for economic benefits and development. We also spent a lot of time talking about a more overarching discussion about the different factors that played into China’s current model of state sponsored capitalism and it’s impact in turn on the factors that played into it (consumerism, social changes, money, economic development, etc.). Many of the sources we went over used individual stories to help tell this narrative and as a way to look at China’s history during this period.

2. things that we discussed more: capitalist consumerism, how Chinese intellectuals at the time feel about the consumerism

things that we didn’t discussed much: cultural revolution (“his policies had brought so much suffering and catastrophe to China, when he died”, many people found freedom and relief, cultural revolution destroyed traditional culture and many literature , Mao’s regimes and what they did to China)

• Deng Xiaoping: It doesn’t matter if the cat is white or black, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat
• democracy wall: to express their anger and sorrow toward the cultural revolution
• Deng’s negative side: communist regime and political intolerance

From the documentary this week, I found many topics that we have not specifically discussed. One of these topics is the cultural revolution and its aftermath (after Mao’s death). Not only was the cultural revolution sort of equivalent to the destruction of traditional values, but it was also painful to many families at the time. According to the documentary, it was pointed out that “his [Mao’s] policies had brought so much suffering and catastrophe to China”. Many resented Mao Zedong so much to the point that his death was like a celebration to them. Moreover, the documentary also mentioned the democracy wall, which was to express the people’s anger and sorrow toward the cultural revolution. Although we didn’t talk much about the cultural revolution in class, we did discuss other topics that the documentary had skimmed through. For example, the capitalist consumerism that bloomed in China after Mao Zedong’s death was widely discussed in our class. Mao’s successor, Deng Xiaoping focused more on the economic development (though he was also intolerant toward politics), and his goal was to make at least one group of people rich first. During Deng’s regime, the nation’s desire to consume grew exponentially (especially in middle class), which simultaneously stimulated the growth of industrial production. Nevertheless, the documentary gives us different perspectives and interpretation on China’s post-Mao era, which encourages us to think critically about the events that occurred during this era. In a word, it is important to learn from different perspectives while studying history, that way we won’t be biased in our interpretations.