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The Chinese Cultural RevolutionRevisited

Xing Li

This paper intends to construct a framework of understanding the CulturalRevolution and the complexities of such an event on the basis ofhistorically novel forms of political, social and ideological relations. Itbrings the Cultural Revolution back in a good light so as to show itsimmense, autonomous historical importance as well as its continuingrelevance. It studies and establishes the relationship between Mao’spolitical and ideological discourse manifested and practised in theCultural Revolution and the transformation of China’s political economyin the present era. It concludes that the theoretical and practicalproblematics which the Cultural Revolution struggled to resolve cantranscend space and time and continue to yield to our reading in a newlight.

Introduction

Never before in history has Chinese society been so radically transformedin so short a time. In the second half of the last century we have seen thedevelopment and transformation of “two contrasting Chinas”: firstly, aMaoist China that took a socialist development strategy characterized bycooperative and state (public) ownership, control of the means of

The China Review, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Fall 2001), 137–165

Xing Li is a lecturer and research fellow in development studies, internationalpolitical economy and international relations at Aalborg University, Denmark. Heholds a Ph.D. in development studies and international relations. In recent years hehas published a number of articles, book chapters and essays on developmentissues and international relations with a focus on China and East Asia, and othertopics related to debates on Marxism and Chinese socialism.

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