China City and Country Ideals

China City and Country

Ideals vs. Reality: the City and Country as Reflected by Post-Revolution Media

The social revolution that began in China at the turn of the century and has lasted up to this day is one of the most tumultuous of all such periods in history. Recognized by ideals the Chairman Moa attempted to apply the ideals of the communist standards upon the real social order of China, a social order that many assume, and rightly so was entrenched in old ideas of the haves and the have nots. The division between the city and the country is one of the most significant of conflicts in the culture and the reality of this division is absolutely reflected in the popular and state supported literature and mass media of the era.

Little had changed in the country with regard to the manner and practice of the way things got done and yet much had changed in the years as young and old began to be exposed to the ideal of egalitarianism that pervaded the communist standards and ideals. Concepts and ideals of class, opportunity and even gender were fundamentally challenged as people began to adopt ideals and standards that outweighed the real opportunity they saw before them, i.e. more toil for limited gain. In many ways the dichotomy between the city and the country in China following the Cultural Revolution remained intact as many in the city still held the power by virtue of opportunity and education while those in the country could only dream of meeting the standards that were needed to better contribute to society.

The film Breaking With Old Ideas is a foundational example of the kinds of conflicts which arose as those born to labor and poverty in the country attempted to challenge long held beliefs of respect for ones superiors and limitations that were in stark contrast to the ideals of equality and prosperity that were expressed in the new order ideas. The country villages no matter how remote were taught the values of the new way of thinking and began to burst at the seams with ideas for how they could better their contribution, by using what they already knew to better the manner in which they produced and in so doing they sought to educate themselves. Concurrently those who had been born in the city, and likely had some privilege if it was only the nearness of schools and the availability of opportunity that made them proud were often resistant to allowing the lower classes these same opportunities. After all they had been educated in a standard that was only minimally different than the older forms of education. As the film expresses, after almost ten years of revolutionary thinking the rural classes were still unprepared for education, in the sense that they could not meet the high entrance standards of traditional universities and the old guard were considered the most capable of teaching still held tightly to the idea that lowering such standards simply to allow rural peasants to become educated was a mistake and many educated youth were resistant to party placement in rural communities to change this standard.

While the party sought to send out these youthful educated men and women to improve the education and ideals in the country, the educated youth resented the placement as it logically represented a serious lowering of comfort and opportunity and isolated them from the opportunities they could seek in the city. Life in rural villages moved slowly and had significant hardship attached to it, as regardless of progress one could only do so much with the reality of the weather, technology and living conditions in remote rural villages. Villages in China at the time of the revolution were still relatively isolated, cut off from main roads, communication, technology and access to progress. Rural Chinese residents still grew most of their own food (though now organized in the communist communal manner), carried water to small dwellings that were constructed of traditional materials, depending on location and still worked long hard days despite the weather. They lived like the poor rural citizens had always lived, few telephones if any, no running water no convenient sources of heat and plenty of physical labor to both provide and contribute. Many peasant villagers were still resistant to allowing their children to be educated not because they did not have the desire for a better life for themselves or their children but because the reality of the need for hands in labor demanded that children do their part in the family to maintain the family and regional economy.

The stories expressed by the entrants to the Labor College in the film are absolutely reflective of the reality of the double standard that kept many from the promises of the Cultural Revolution. The young apprentice to the blacksmith had only a year of middle school education as by necessity he was required to work as soon as he was old enough to do so. The young mother who had been a child bride had years of night school and years of experience in agriculture but could not pass entrance exams without the intervention of the new principle (Lung), who himself had only limited education consisting mainly of the teachings of Chairman Moa during wartime. The interim period, where these lower and middle class peasants were burgeoning at the seems to better their place, position and contribution to the ideals of the new era was a significant challenge to the city and country dichotomy.

Harvey in Money, Time, Space and the City clearly details the kinds of conflicts that arise in periods of modernization, when old standards are forced out and nothing concrete is in place to replace them. He stresses that the standards by which we live regardless of how antiquated, i.e. based on money, command of space and time are all foundational to the way that society is organized and when these issues dominate society confusions of social class and social order are imminent. The kind of revolution that was occurring in the film, Breaking With Old Ideas are a direct example of the kinds of revolts and revolutions Harvey is speaking of, where the old academic guard is challenged by the idea that even those who have lacked educational opportunity have something to contribute to the future growth of society. The period is infinitely confusing because the ideals that are embraced by the laboring class are in complete contradiction to the high held standards of formal education, something that still exists in China to a large degree, as do other issues of access for the poor to education, healthcare and vocational opportunity. There is still a clear divide between the urban and rural populations in China and industrialization has made strides that allow the laboring class, said in the film to be the true ruling class to work for minimal wages in crowded urban settings or are limited by space to remain in the rural environment with its limited technology, communication and vocational opportunities. Most would say there is still a divide which is reflective of the controversial nature of the film, upon its release as high standards still pervade education and educational opportunities are still hindered by money, space and time.

Other materials and readings that have been reviewed in this course also support the sentiment of the challenges of the laboring class and urbanization. The stark photographic representation of urbanization in China that can be found in the Zhang Xinmin book as well as the pastoral ideals that are in contrast with urbanization and opportunity in Bian Cheng follow a similar pattern of detailed confrontation with ideals and realities. The populous is informed that they have a contribution to make to the greater society and then they are confused by the reality of the sacrifices and challenges they must face to not really get along any better than they did in their home village. A great example of the conflict revealed, is the piece of transformational literature the realist work Midnight, which displays to even deniers the serious corruption that is evident in business in China and how it undermines the goals of the people to rework society and make it better for everyone.

Sealed Off is another shining example of the perspective of the urban vs. rural life. When the individuals who are banned from entrance to the tram, which only offers a slightly better situation seek to break into this new world, with little room for them conflict arises. The story of Cuiyuan is a perfect example of the kind of challenge faced by many people during times of social change. Cuiyuan is a young professor at Shanghai University. She teaches English but is frequently confronted by students because she is Chinese and teaching English and because she has not been abroad, both old standards for an English professor. She has worked very hard to obtain her success, and her success as both young and a woman is substantial, but now even her parents are wishing she had worked less hard at her studies and instead chosen to woo and marry a rich husband. She then receives abuses at home and at school for her choices, even though her choices are directly evident of communist ideals. She therefore feels as if no one from the principle to the janitors respect her and she receives no respect even at home. Cuiyuan faces a universal challenge, as her ideals have told her that the right thing to do is study hard and achieve academic success, this she has done, yet it is not really appreciated because she has not met the old standard of academics and has not chosen a path that will improve her family. Though the family may be improved by the esteem of their daughter's rise to become a professor they are still challenged by the fact that this path is not yet defined enough to offer improvement, in the same manner that thousands of years of tradition based on marriage as the most fundamental way that a woman can change her life and that of her family. While in the same story a similar but gender reversed drama was playing out. A prosperous business man (Lu Zongzhen) was attempting to allude a lower class relative as the younger man (Dong Peizhi )had intentions of securing the hand of the businessman's daughter as way to improve his lot in life. Dong Peizhi is a the young son of his wife's cousin who has come from a very poor background. He has calculated that marrying Lu Zongzhen's eldest 13-year-old daughter would greatly improve his status and prospects. (Chang, 2007) Lu Zongzhen believes his daughter is far to young to marry and that she deserves better than Peizhi. The challenge of the situation is apparent as each individual seeks out his own rational needs over those of the lot he has been cast into. Peizhi sought the wealthier man's young daughter while the young professor sought to hold on to the fact that she was living the dream her ideals were built for, and enduring the abuse of not having made the same choice that Peizhi was now attempting to make by marrying up. All the while the city was sealed as a result of a conflict with an even more desperate lower class likely of new urbanite status, an even more precarious status than that of Cuiyuan, Lu Zongzhen or even Peizhi. The old dredges of traditional society continue to pervade the reality of life in an urban Chinese setting. The blockade is in place to keep the beggars out and the tram of only slightly more well off individuals is stuck outside to cope with their own internal drives and thoughts, slowed down by and event they would wish not to think about. The people on the tram are described as seeking any kind of distraction that allows them to continue not to think, reading shop signs if they have nothing with them to distract, as according to the author, thinking is painful. (Chang, 2007) Thinking is painful business, just as the students at the labor college are stressed by the demands of their "real" life as members of the laboring class and low income families too much to receive the kind of education they would actually need to break the barriers of the academic old guard, the urbanites are stressed by the duality of the old vs. The new ways and definitions of "success."

In the film, new conflicts arise when again the old guard attempts to assert a syllabus that is far too extensive for the part-work, part-study reality of the Labor College. In the work, the voice of reason or middle ground is a young female teacher who has studied in a full time university and was challenged by the standards even with the opportunity to study all day. The demand of the vice-principle and the dean (who has since been replaced as admissions coordinator by the elder party advocate from the village) is to follow the syllabus and allow it to "weed out" those who cannot keep up. Since Principle Lung has enrolled students with limited academic experience and the students will be expected to learn trade skills and work as well as study the conflict is foreseeable and obvious.

Lung's point is that elitist students from non-laboring classes and those who are aristocrats with no skill to work have ridden on the back of the worker and relied upon the worker to provide for his needs while he simply follows these rigorous standards of study. Dean Sun and the vice-principle are at odds still strongly believing that the reason that some rise to the top of the academic pursuit is because some people are simply better than others. In the words of Lung. "…there is one thing we must all bear in mind…the students we train must become laboring people…with both socialist consciousness and culture." Lung points out that no one among them has the experience to create such a system and that they will have to forge ahead to tread a new road, one that has never been trod before and cannot be based on the ideals of old academic standards. This is a standard that is mirrored by Cuiyuan's dilemma, as the old academic guard is pervasive still at her university, and is reflected in the abuse she receives by the students who expect an English professor to either be a native English speaker, therefore from abroad, or to have traveled and studied abroad the way that the elite have to come to dominate the academic and business worlds in China.