Cultural Revolution

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December 9th, 2008 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Cultural Revolution

New Year Spectacular Raises Chinese Culture From the Ashes

If one wants to know what about New Tang Dynasty TV’s Chinese New Year Spectacular draws so many superlatives, the people who make up the show, are the place to start. What sets these artists apart—be they dancers, designers, choreographers—is the profound affinity they share for China’s traditional culture. These people are far more than just world-class artists. They have gone to great lengths to not just study, but actually immerse themselves in China’s ancient traditions. For many here the values and practices of China’s yesteryear are not merely something to study and know about, but to live by. Many of the artists I’ve met make an active practice of things like meditation, mindful speech, and benevolence—traits cultivated by China’s sages. And they have dedicated themselves to raise China’s ancient cultural and spiritual heritage from the ashes of communist destruction.

In China under communist rule, traditional culture has been assaulted and denounced for over five decades. Most of today’s performing artists from China grew up being made to publicly denounce Confucius as a “counter revolutionary,” or being coerced into burning classic books, or even to physically assault their school teachers for being intellectuals.

A great and tragic amount of violence befell China in the years following the 1949 communist takeover, with its arts and traditions not being spared. If anything, they were seen as an obstacle, or threat, to the ruling Communist Party’s legitimacy: whereas traditional culture esteemed traits like kindness and harmony, Marxism-Leninism celebrated violence, atheism, and class struggle.

Communism was a foreign artifact, transplanted from Eastern Europe; little was it rooted in people’s hearts the way Confucian culture was. Communist rulers decided it had to go, whatever the cost. Thus it was the arts, and their performers, that had their roots severed to such a severe extent.

The decade spanning 1966–76 witnessed Mao Zedong’s “Cultural Revolution” and the unleashing of Red Guard soldiers on every possible vestige of China’s traditional past—from Confucius’ temple to Buddha statues, calligraphers, and libraries. The motto of the day was, “Smash the old world!”

Then, insult was added to injury as traditional culture was recycled with Frankensteinian twists. Traditional operas, plays, and stories were recreated to serve Mao Zedong’s political ends. What remnants of Chinese culture survived were masticated and reengineered by the Communist Party. Thus, even today in China or on Chinese state-run television (CCTV) you might see the bizarre spectacle of soldiers dancing—in full military regalia—a hybrid dance, part Qing Dynasty ballet, part Maoist propaganda.

China has never fully recovered from the Cultural Revolution and its violent agenda, as communist leaders there have yet to come to terms with the disaster. When China’s Minister of Culture, Sun Jiazheng, was interviewed last year by Charlie Rose, he responded to a question about the Cultural Revolution by saying that it “had a very negative impact on our country’s economy,” making no mention whatsoever of the 7–8 million people who were killed during the campaign nor its cataclysmic impact on culture.

Accusations that the “Chinese culture” packaged by China’s communist regime is but a cheap economic tool, gains credence in light of remarks like Sun’s. Summersaults or bashing loud drums, after all, hardly makes for meaningful culture.

All of which is why the New Tang Dynasty Spectacular is more than just a breath of fresh air: it’s a fresh start.

Between January and March the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular will be touring Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and major cities in Canada, Europe and Asia.

About the Author

John Augustyn writes about Traditional Chinese culture and art. For more info about the NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular in your city/area, please visit:
http://shows.ntdtv.com
http://www.ntdtv.com