History· Memory· Modernity

The continuation of a culture hinges on the inheritance of history and memory.A culture is in a crisis when it is in oblivion.Especially in the current context of globalization,when the pervasive aesthetics empire attaches great importance to one-sided pursuit of a unification in various fields,the cultural identity of different ethnic groups are increasingly blurred.In this situation,the absence of history and memory is perilous,as it not only reduces various pursuits in the modern Chinese historical course to commercial landscapes,viewed or forgotten by visitors,but also causes the collapse of cultural identity and absence of national pride.Viewed from this perspective,alienating the past and forgetting history will lead to self-lost.The study of Chinese literature in the 20 th century by overseas Chinese scholar Wang Ban enriches the research results of modern and contemporary Chinese literature with its unique perspectives and methods,opening up another possibility of interpreting of historical writing,and also providing some insights to develop local cultural resources.He reverts to the aesthetic text of Chinese literature and film creation in the 20 th century.By exploring the opposition and interaction between history and memory embedded in the text,he provides a powerful resource to resist the modern narrative of capitalism.In Wang Ban's reconstruction of the modernity of Chinese literature and film in the 20 th century,history and memory,two concepts,become powerful tools to activate the ideal and intervene in reality.The focus on history and memory is to re-seek a converging structure in the face of disintegration of the post-modern narrative,and construct a nation's own modern grand narrative,which is different from the globalized ideology,using the post-modern research method.This grand narrative not only contains the tortuous course of the development of China's modernity in the 20 th century,but also covers the forgotten revolutionary tradition.Furthermore,it reflects on the national trauma,while resisting the imperial aesthetics.It re-establishes connections between past and present,nation and world.Therefore,Wang Ban's views on the complicated relationship between history,memory and modernity are particularly inspiring in today's global controversy.For this purpose,this paper is divided into four parts in addition to the introduction and conclusion part.Chapter 1 mainly introduces Wang Ban's motives and tasks for modernity reconstruction,including the background,framework and concept explanation for his research.Chapter 2 is set in the context of Chinese literature and film in the 20 th century,focusing on Wang Ban's understanding of the interactive relationship between history and memory.Chapter 3 mainly summarizes the cultural characteristics of Wang Ban's modernity concept.Chapter 4 mainly discusses the unique values and limitations of his reconstruction of modernity.