Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 February 2009
As opposed to the practice of the early 1960s of expressing dissent through plays, short stories and literary forums, by 1962 and 1963 dissidence was expressed through discussions on Chinese history. Like the literati of old, Chinese intellectuals used their interpretations of history as criticisms of the regime, and the regime used contrary interpretations as rebuttals. While these debates were in actuality a subtle struggle over policy, they touched on some fundamental questions as to the dynamics of the historical process, the role of traditional values and the nature of man. They were conducted with a degree of sophistication and balance that had not been exhibited since the Communists had come to power.
* This article is a condensation of a paper to be published in Chalmers Johnson (ed.), Ideology and Politics in Contemporary China. It grew out of a conference on the same subject held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in August 1971.Google Scholar
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22. Ibid. p. 15.
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24. Ibid. p. 23.
25. Ibid. p. 24.
26. Ibid.
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37. Ibid. p. 28.