| This thesis examines three ways in which the popular culture of post Mao China parallels that of Republican China. The first parallel, concerning the context for the emergence and development of urban pop culture in each era, is established through an examination of the common sociopolitical conditions apparent during each that made China ripe for pop culture development: a shift in the locus of moral authority and social control; technological advances; rapid economic growth; and foreign influences. The second parallel is substantiated through specific examples of similar messages about individualism and cosmopolitanism from both eras. The third parallel is evidenced through examples of similar identity types that are celebrated in the urban pop culture of both eras. Examples utilized come from literature, music, film, popular media, etc. and represent such culture makers as Lu Xun, Wang Shuo, Cui Jian, Chen Duxiu, Ding Ling, and Yu Dafu, to name a few. |
