Chinese Literature

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River*® by Ching Ni, and poems by Tien Chien and Yen Cheng, because they mirror this mighty struggle from different angles, are eagerly read and applauded by the reading public.

A good deal of space is given by People’s Literature to writing which reflects the life of New China in all its aspects.

World-shaking changes have occurred in five short years. The Chinese people have carried out a _ series of far-reaching social reforms, tearing out the economic roots of feudalism and imperialism, and overcoming the ideology of reaction. The great advances China has made in socialist industrialization and transformation of the country—are banishing forever the poverty and backwardness which darkened the life of old China. The people of New China are engaged in new creative tasks, building a happy, splendid life of peace and socialism.

These new realities constantly inspire our writers. It is their honour and glory to portray these epoch-making changes, the great achievements of our people in building their country, their ever-new life, and the struggle between what is new and progressive and what is backward and reactionary. A brief review of past issues of People’s Literature will show that our writers have increasingly availed themselves of the privilege of choosing themes from this rich panorama.

Village Vignettes by Chin Chao-yang** are stories written in a fresh and vivid style, that sing the praises of the growth and triumph of this new life, these new ways of thinking in China’s villages. One of our young writers, Shih Kuo, in his short story of a marriage, Tempest, realistically portrays the sharp conflict between old and new going on in the countryside. Other tales, like Not That Road by another young writer, Li Chun ;*** Night at Huangnikang**** and New Year Holiday by Lo Pinchi; Sister Chun by Liu Chen, Uncle Chao, the Stockman by Ma Ger Oeamee cae and the film scenario Rich Harvest by Sun Chien, have in their different ways successfully described the changed rural life, revealed the struggle with outworn ideas which the peasants go through in advancing towards co-operative forms of farming, and extolled the new heroes coming to the fore in China’s villages.

Every day too, more works are appearing which reflect the life and strivings of our working class. li Lo-ying,****** by the well-known woman writer Ting Ling, tells of an old man of peasant stock, who starts life as a shepherd boy, fought in several wars, and ends up by working on one of China’s great water conservancy projects. The story tellingly reveals how his outlook and ideas gradually change, and shows his deep

*For English translation see Racing Towards Victory, published by the Foreign Languages Press, Peking. *#* See Chinese Literature No. 1, 1954. * For English translation see People’s China No. 6, 1954. See Chinese Literature No. 3, 1954. * Gee Chinese Literature No. 4, 1954. ##%%%% See People’s China No. 1, 1954.

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