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by k_sze
2479 days ago
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Thanks for all of those examples. The Zhongshan scripts are beautiful indeed. However, the major difference that I perceive between the Cultural Revolution (CR) and most of your examples is that in the case of the CR, we're talking about millions of people deliberately destroying stuff out of a mix of spite, arrogance, and folly. Whereas, bar the presence of evidence to the contrary, I would assume some of the artifacts you mentioned were simply lost to entropy. The ancient Chinese lacked the technology/know-how/capability to preserve those things. Circumstances may have forced them to abandon some of those artifacts. They probably did their best, in carving those things in relatively durable material like bronze and marble. The only comparable example among those that you listed would be the burning of books and burying of scholars. (I know the burying of scholars is disputed.) But even then, it was mostly an idea that probably only very few people believed was good. The other people who cooperated (by turning in hiding scholars and hidden scrolls to the authority) probably did it out of fear for punishment. |
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> ......But even then, it was mostly an idea that probably only very few people believed was good.
Very good points.
I agree the Culture Revolution has caused great damage. I don't think it shifted the core of "Chinese culture". It was "rectified" quickly and today people understand how bad it was. OTOH, The New Culture Movement had probably caused more impact. I'm not saying the NCM is bad but its effects are significant and long lasting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Culture_Movement
Please let me know your view on it.