Reshaping Of Ding Ling's Image In Yan'an Period (1936-1945)

Ding Ling,the legendary writer's life almost across the whole of the 20th century.Her life had waxed and waned with Twentieth-Century China.Ding Ling's abundant experience had given her multiple identities and images.The image of modern female writer and the image of revolutionary female warrior in Yan'an were the two best known.In the late 1920s,Ding Ling first appeared in the literary world as a new woman that had the May 4th spirit.She not only depicted the girl student Meng Ke who finally sank into the luxury,but also depicted the lady Sophie who was full of passion.After Ding Ling came to Yan 'an she was connected to the revolution frequently.Also,she committed to painting the countryside and farmers.Ding Ling's creation have changed dramatically.As a result,her public image mutated from modern girl into the Red Chinese heroine.In fact,in addition to these two seemingly contradictory image,by researching the reports about Ding Ling in the mass media including the newspapers and journals,we find Ding Ling's image was more complicated.Ding Ling was gradually recognized as a rising star in the left-wing literary circle in the 1930s.The left-wing critics gave full recognition to her works after she turned left.When she was arrested in 1933,her image was commandeered by the left-wing literary circles.The left-wing literary circles were writing poems and biographies for her.Ding Ling was deemed as a revolutionary writer who bloody sacrificed under the dark power.Thus the image of Ding Ling was seem sad but glorious.In this huge memorial activities,the left-wing literary started a public opinion warfare which was aim at the Kuomintang.When Ding Ling escaped to Yan'an,interestingly,the images of her were so different in the Liberated Areas and the Kuomintang-controlled areas which were all belong to China.She was a revolutionary female soldier with a gun and a pen in Yan'an.She was wearing a military uniform and the five-star service cap and caught people's attention in the Liberated Areas.But in the Kuomintang-controlled areas she was thought to be a modern women or a evil and lecherous siren.Ding Ling had two distinct characterization at the same time.In this contradiction we can find the discourse fabrication behind Ding Ling's image.Variety of Ding Ling's image is not equal to the real Ding Ling.On the one hand,Ding Ling,the famous writer's public image is her self-expression.On the other hand,the social concept.political power and ideology also shape the image of Ding Ling.So that Ding Ling's image in the press gradually changed because this variety of strength.Ding Ling's public image was the incarnation of Ding Ling's concept.Ding Ling had the initiative in the construction of her personal image.Especially Ding Ling apparently intended to cater to the image of revolutionary female warrior in Yan'an.She intended to show her carry handguns,to speak loud and to be bold.She was trying to remove her women temperament from the appearance to the action.The differences of Ding Ling's image were also because of the political power and ideological intervention.Due to the war environment and women policy of Yan'an,they promoted powerful women.Because of the conservative patriarchal ideology,Kuomintang-controlled areas appreciated women who had good education and maternal instinct.So that Ding Ling was characterised by two different kinds of image in this two orientation.At the same time,in addition to the written report,the pictures on the mass media which should not be ignored in the 20th century also showed its ability in the construction of Ding Ling's image.Picture is also a cultural symbol.Also,due to the non-artificial illusion of picture,it often played a more powerful role in the construction of Ding Ling's image.Therefore,we should research the image of Ding Ling through investigating the text and picture about Ding Ling.