Fiction of new China (1949–1966)

With a dual emphasis on coverage and depth, this study seeks to redefine the development of modern Chinese fiction created between 1949 and 1966 under the influence of socialist realism from the Soviet Union. This study argues that the historical development of Chinese fiction in this period is essentially a part of a continuous development dedicated to modernizing the Chinese consciousness and the Chinese literary tradition in the larger context of worldwide globalization and aesthetic internationalization of national literatures. The treatment of China’s peasantry in the spirit of socialism adds a new dimension to the international trend of socialist realism. The abundance of heroic characters in the fiction analysed in this chapter demonstrates how the maturing Chinese socialist realist literature enriches the repertoire and the trend of socialist realism in the creation of collective proletarian heroism.