Guo Degang as a Grassroots Culture Hero

Abstract

This chapter examines how Guo Degang acts as a grassroots culture hero in the contemporary Chinese xiangsheng circle specifically and in the sociocultural context generally. Guo Degang’s xiangsheng is not meant to educate the masses, and he rejects any form of refined taste or elegance in his xiangsheng performance. For Guo, the de-vulgarising of the art form by the Group at the early stage of socialist China destroyed its original essence as a source of entertainment. Guo’s return to the core values of traditional xiangsheng revives its intended purpose and meaning. However, Guo Degang’s reforms upset the official party line which promotes and depends on a prudish tradition to stabilise and consolidate its rule. During the Counter the Three Vulgarities campaign Guo Degang underwent a transformation from a culture hero to a public enemy, demonstrating the immense power wielded by the CCP dictatorship over potential challengers and opponents. The Guo Degang incident signifies the much deeper struggle between the non-conformist, critical social discourse—and the established political and cultural dictatorship of the official regime; and the struggle between China’s emergent entertainment and cultural industry and official propaganda and moral discipline.