Abstract
Oral residues in Chinese written tradition were maintained by the ruling authorities for the facilitation of correct moral education of the masses, and propagated largely through the traditional learning methodology. When an overwhelming web of ideological control was tailored through the production and dissemination of standardized written texts, oral residues and restricted literacy acted as the agents for the maintenance of the established educational system and social order. This article applies and extends Ong’s thesis of nine general features of oral mentality to the China example and explores the social impact of oral residues in a literate society. It concludes, through the study of China’s case, that the social dynamics of communication technologies are determined not by the functions of the technologies, but by how the technologies are socially organized.
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