Everyone is a soldier in defence of the fatherland

Chinese Literature Magazine 1968

The Great Socialist Cultural Revolution in China continued to develop throughout 1968. Old certainties continued to be challenged and those who thought they could continue in the old way, although society was radically different after 1st October 1949, were in for a shock.

As Chairman Mao had said ‘revolutions are not a dinner party’ and this included the Cultural Revolution. No revolution can be controlled, it’s like a storm that develops far out at sea, no one knows exactly what will happen when it arrives on land. However, a social revolution can be provided with guidance from a properly organsied and ideologically strong Marxist-Leninist Party and hence the declarations that the movement had to be under the control of the workers, peasants and soldiers.

In this situation no one was free of criticism – including those cadres at all levels in the Communist Party of China. However, such a stance means that counter-revolutionaries could hide their reactionary reality behind the cloak of ultra-leftism – an issue that was to develop in subsequent years.

One other aspect of the Cultural Revolution was the ‘deification’ of Comrade Mao Tse-tung. Although it was a useful tactic to use the respect in which the Chairman was held by the vast majority of the population this could, at times, distort the true reason for unleashing the Cultural Revolution in the first place. Some of the stories, poems and songs in various issues of Chinese Literature in 1968 display this imbalance.

(Unfortunately the colour plates are missing from issue No. 1 of 1968.)

Chinese Literature: Introduction, 1951 (missing), 1952 (missing), 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 (missing), 1960 (missing), 1961, 1962 (missing), 1963, 1964, 1965 (missing), 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 1

Contents include:

The culture of New Democracy – Mao Tse-tung

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: Expose the Counter-Revolutionary Features of Sholokhov – Shih Hung-yu

Fighting South and North (a film scenario)

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 2

Contents include:

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: A Manifesto of Opposition to the October Revolution – Hung Hsueh Chun

Tear off the mask of the ‘Culture of the entire People’ – Fan Hsiu-wen

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 3

Contents include:

Hail the mass publication of Chairman Mao’s works

Forum on the CIay Sculptures ‘Family Histories of Airmen’

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: Apologist for Bukhrarin, agent of the Kulaks – Li Ching

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 4

Contents include:

NOTES ON LITERATURE AND ART: Go among the workers, peasants and soldiers

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: The Banner of the October Revolution Is Invincible – Chung Yen-ping

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 5

Contents include:

Speech at the Chinese Communist Party’s National Conference on Propaganda work – Mao Tse-tung

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: Expose the Nature of the Soviet Revisionists’ Vaunted ‘Humanism’ – Fan Hsiu-wen

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 6

Contents include:

Statement by Comrade Mao Tse-tung, in support of the Afro-American struggle against violent oppression

LITERARY CRITICISM AND REPUDIATION: A Review of ‘Days and Nights’ – Hsieh Sheng-wen

Repudiate Tao Chu’s Revisionist Programme for Literature and Art

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 7-8

Contents include:

COMMEMORATE THE 26TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TALKS AT THE YENAN FORUM ON LITERATURE AND ART:
Let Our theatre propagate Mao Tse-Tung’s Thought Forever – Ya Hai-jung
Unfold mass repudiation, defend Chairman Mao’s Revolutionary line in Literature and Art – Hsieh Sheng-wen
Revolutionary Literature and Art must serve the workers, peasants and soldiers

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 10

Contents include:

FORUM ON LITERATURE AND ART:
Mao Tse-tung’s Thought is a beacon for Revolutionary Literature and Art – Chen Ping and Li Ming-hui
The fundamental task of Socialist Literature and Art – Sun Kang
We shall always sing of the Red Sun in Our hearts – Chou Kuo
Literature and Art must serve Proletarian Politics – Hsia Lin-ken

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 11

Contents include:

The working class must exercise leadership in everything – Yao Wen-yuan

NOTES ON ART: Greet the new era of Proletarian Revolutionary Literature and Art – Ting Hsueh-lei
A brilliant example of making foreign things serve China – Kao Chang-yin

Chinese Literature – 1968 – No 11 – Supplement

Adopted on 31st October 168 – which stressed the importance of the Great Socialist Cultural Revolution being led by the workers, peasants and soldiers of China