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Current Biography in Communist China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

William Ayers
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Extract

Biography in the People's Republic of China is not exempt from the ubiquitous slogan: “politics in command.” It is a highly purposeful craft, but rarely, if ever, is its primary purpose to portray an individual personality for his own sake, to inform objectively, or to entertain. The aim, instead, is to convince, enshrine, or inspire. Biography is didactic, hagiolatrous, or propagandistic. It is but one among many methods used in Communist China to support Marxist-Leninist views of history, provide sanction for the leaders of the Chinese Communist party, and fire enthusiasm for the acceptance and fulfillment of party programs. The accuracy, art, treatment of character, and probably even the quantity of biography published are limited by party preconceptions and enforced through party control over all media of information.

Type
The Biographical Approach to Chinese History: A Symposium
Information
The Journal of Asian Studies , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , August 1962 , pp. 477 - 485
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1962

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References

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