Saving the nation through culture : the folklore movement in republican China / Jie Gao.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gao, Jie, 1977- author.

Series:

Contemporary Chinese studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Folklore--China--History--20th century.

Folklore.

Folklore--Political aspects--China--History--20th century.

Folklore and nationalism--China--History--20th century.

Folklore and nationalism.

Social movements--China--History--20th century.

Social movements.

History.

Folklore--Political aspects.

China--Intellectual life--20th century.

China.

Intellectual life.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

ix, 352 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Vancouver ; Toronto : UBC Press, [2019]

Summary:

"The Modern Chinese Folklore Movement burst onto the scene at National Peking University between 1918 and 1926. A group of literary scholars, inspired by Western thought, turned to the study and revitalization of folklore--popular songs, beliefs, and customs--to rally the people around the flag during an era of deep postwar disillusionment. "Saving the Nation through Culture" opens a new chapter in the world history of the folklore movement by exploring the origins and evolution of the discipline's Chinese branch. Gao reveals that intellectuals in the New Culture Movement influenced the founding folklorists with their aim to repudiate Confucianism following the Chinese Republic's failure to modernize the nation. The folklorists, however, faced a unique challenge--advocating for modern academic methods and constructions while upholding folklore as the key to the nation's salvation. Largely unknown in the West and underappreciated in China, the Modern Folklore Movement failed to achieve its goal of reinvigorating the Chinese nation. But it helped establish a modern discipline, promoting a spirit of academic independence that continues to influence Chinese intellectuals today."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Seeking a solution for the nation : the folklore movement's origins at National Peking University

Carrying on amidst chaos : establishment of folklore studies in South China

Developing an excellent situation : the spread of the folklore movement in China

Breaking with the past : the folklore movement in wartime.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Gao, Jie, 1977-, author. Saving the nation through culture.:

Online version: Gao, Jie, 1977- Saving the nation through culture.

ISBN:

9780774838382

0774838388

OCLC:

1080223316