Abstract
This paper discusses the theme of “progress” in Australian and Chinese cultures in the period of 1920s and 1930s. During this period, both cultures had an outpouring of patriotic and sentimental feelings. In this social context, both cultures constructed a theme of “progress” – the transformation of natural environment with human power, or the active participation in social life, for the purpose of “civilization”, a concept closely connected with the idea of social engagement, transformation and modernization. In Australia, this ideology was a continuation of the old idea of transforming “untamed” nature and bringing material progress through human labour; in China, it was a new theme which betrayed the old “reclusive” spirit. In Australia, it is represented most clearly in film, in China, it is represented in both film and painting.
Highlights
This paper discusses the theme of “progress” in Australian and Chinese cultures in the period of 1920s and 1930s
“progress” on the one hand implies the human civilization of nature through labour, machinery and technology, and on the other hand, implies human participation in changing and improving society
During the period of the 1920s and early 1930s, both Australian and Chinese cultures were coming to terms with modernity
Summary
“Progress” is a recurring theme in both Australian and Chinese cultures in the period of 1920s and early 1930s. During the period of the 1920s and early 1930s, both Australian and Chinese cultures were coming to terms with modernity. In Australia this was a continuation of the longestablished view of human appropriation and control of nature, and the desire of white Australians to “belong” to the new land by appropriating it. This was explicit in some Australian films which showed the settler working the land, transforming nature and bringing civilization as the theme. The discussion of specific representations will be combined with a more general exploration of the ideology and social context that fostered those representations
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