Had a coworker ask me about the cultural revolution because I know things, particularly pertaining to China and Chinese history, but the cultural revolution is a blindspot for me, so I couldn't really answer.
I missed the opportunity to educate, and every moment since then has been agony. Please help me amend this.
Thanks in advance, comrades.
I've heard that The Unknown Cultural Revolution by Dongping Han is good. Another good book I've heard of is The Battle For China's Past by Mobo Gao. If you want a perspective from a Western commenter, check out the work of Erza Vogel.
Thanks for that. I figure that Chinese sources are probably best (if they aren't lib), but I think having some Western view to contrast it with would be helpful, too (if they aren't lib...)
I would also give Mobo Gao a read.
That's what I'm starting with. The book's description seems pretty antithetical to your perspective that the CR was overall bad. Chinese people I've spoken to (in China) also believe it was an overwhelming negative event. Most people on hexbear seem to think it was bad, too.
I'm curious as to what Gao has to say because he seems to be arguing against a total consensus.
Every thing I said was what I experienced in China from Chinese.
I asked a friend the name of the play and I believe it was called the Goldbach conjecture. The man the play was about is called Chen Jingrun (陈景润)
Gao was a lecturer for a couple of my subjects. Had some good insights.
Thanks. I'm currently in China and had a great conversation about it with my local coworker.
She echoed the line that you put out. However, when I pressed her about who writes these stories, she did concede that all of the views come from the intelligentsia and the rural people are often overlooked. She still holds that the aims of the CR were not pure, though.
It's really great to have these conversations that are wildly different than anything in the West.
You're lucky you could listen to Gao lectures. Must have been really interesting.