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A Decade of Upheaval: The Cultural Revolution in Rural China
A revealing exploration of political disruption and violence in a rural Chinese county during the Cultural Revolution
A Decade of Upheaval chronicles the surprising and dramatic political conflicts of a rural Chinese county over the course of the Cultural Revolution. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources--including work diaries, interviews, internal party documents, and military directives--Dong Guoqiang and Andrew Walder uncover a previously unimagined level of strife in the countryside that began with the Red Guard Movement in 1966 and continued unabated until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.
Showing how the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution were not limited to urban areas, but reached far into isolated rural regions, Dong and Walder reveal that the intervention of military forces in 1967 encouraged factional divisions in Feng County because different branches of China's armed forces took various sides in local disputes. The authors also lay bare how the fortunes of local political groups were closely tethered to unpredictable shifts in the decisions of government authorities in Beijing. Eventually, a backlash against suppression and victimization grew in the early 1970s and resulted in active protests, which presaged the settling of scores against radical Maoism.
A meticulous look at how one overlooked region experienced the Cultural Revolution, A Decade of Upheaval illuminates the all-encompassing nature of one of the most unstable periods in modern Chinese history.
A Decade of Upheaval chronicles the surprising and dramatic political conflicts of a rural Chinese county over the course of the Cultural Revolution. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources--including work diaries, interviews, internal party documents, and military directives--Dong Guoqiang and Andrew Walder uncover a previously unimagined level of strife in the countryside that began with the Red Guard Movement in 1966 and continued unabated until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.
Showing how the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution were not limited to urban areas, but reached far into isolated rural regions, Dong and Walder reveal that the intervention of military forces in 1967 encouraged factional divisions in Feng County because different branches of China's armed forces took various sides in local disputes. The authors also lay bare how the fortunes of local political groups were closely tethered to unpredictable shifts in the decisions of government authorities in Beijing. Eventually, a backlash against suppression and victimization grew in the early 1970s and resulted in active protests, which presaged the settling of scores against radical Maoism.
A meticulous look at how one overlooked region experienced the Cultural Revolution, A Decade of Upheaval illuminates the all-encompassing nature of one of the most unstable periods in modern Chinese history.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published February 23, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 5, 2021
This book is basically all about intricate technicalities and chronological development of inter-faction conflict in Feng county during the Cultural Revolution. It is clear that one side (Liansi) is more "conservative" while another one (Paolian) is more "radical", but what is behind these words is not made clear by the book. There is little information about the mindset, ideological standpoints or propaganda strategies of each faction. Maybe that is the nature of Cultural Revolution in Feng county but I expected a clearer storytelling that would help to understand why there was this bitter conflict that lasted for years, how these factions recruited supporters, what vision they had for the future of their county and overall China?
Finally, I was hoping to find more illustrations especially considering that the introduction mentioned "Through contacts cultivated independently with networks of now-retired former activists, local officials, and soldiers, and local collectors of Cultural Revolution memorabilia, we have gained access to an unusually wide array of documentary sources, as well as interviews with key participants in the events of the period." (p. ix) However, the book contains only a couple of photos and no copies of the documents, no photos of banners, posters, etc. This would have been very interesting to see.
Overall, I felt that this book leaves many questions unanswered and many expectations unmet.
Finally, I was hoping to find more illustrations especially considering that the introduction mentioned "Through contacts cultivated independently with networks of now-retired former activists, local officials, and soldiers, and local collectors of Cultural Revolution memorabilia, we have gained access to an unusually wide array of documentary sources, as well as interviews with key participants in the events of the period." (p. ix) However, the book contains only a couple of photos and no copies of the documents, no photos of banners, posters, etc. This would have been very interesting to see.
Overall, I felt that this book leaves many questions unanswered and many expectations unmet.
February 26, 2023
A truly groundbreaking transnational scholarly collaboration that finally covers in depth an aspect of the Cultural Revolution that the field has long been in need of: the countryside. This book is an in depth history of Feng County, a particularly rural county in the middle of nowhere so to speak, as its residents lived through the raucous times of the cultural Revolution decade. This rural county was basically ungovernable for the state and locals took power into their own hand, leading to some serious chaos. This little village area was even thrust into national politics as the local rebel leaders were even sent to Beijing to be dealt with by central authorities. Even that couldn’t stop this wild county! Truly an awesome and amazing study. It was a page turner for me.
January 10, 2023
I mostly skimmed this monograph, but it was interesting to learn of China’s cultural revolution and how small villages of out-skirting provinces played a crucial role. Factionalism occurred in those areas and contributed to outcomes of the revolution.
June 11, 2023
gorgeous
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews