In search of a socialist modernity

Abstract

The first decade of communist rule in China featured the widespread introduction of Soviet culture that transformed the lives of ordinary Chinese citizens. The Chinese Communist Party familiarized the populace with a spectrum of Soviet cultural forms, such as architecture, fashion, film, and literature, through every possible channel with the intention of cementing their hold on power and pushing a program of international socialist modernization. However, while in general the popularization of Soviet culture generally achieved anticipated results, at times mass interpretation of Soviet cultural products differed considerably from the intentions of the new regime. The results of this decade-long transnational cultural engagement with the Chinese public's mentality, behavior patterns, and belief systems remain far-reaching to the present day. Two questions are relevant to understanding this transformation: 1) How did the Chinese government exploit the Soviet culture to mold "socialist new citizens?" and 2) How did the Chinese people utilize the language and imagery from Soviet cultural products to express their own vision and understanding of socialist modernity? Using methodologies in mass communication, cultural studies, literary criticism, and film studies, this dissertation will answer these questions and explain the process by which the values of the PRC party-state and the Chinese masses contested, negotiated, and colluded. In so doing, this study will not only shed new light on early PRC history and Sino-Soviet relations, but it will also contribute to understanding the transnational cultural dynamics shaping the evolution of the communist world.