The Cambridge Companion to Modern Chinese Culture

At the start of the twenty-first century, China is poised to become a major global power. Understanding its culture is more important than ever before for western audiences, but for many, China remains a mysterious and exotic country. This Companion explains key aspects of modern Chinese culture without assuming prior knowledge of China or the Chinese language. The volume acknowledges the interconnected nature of the different cultural forms, from 'high culture' such as literature, religion and philosophy to more popular issues such as sport, cinema, performance and the internet. Each chapter is written by a world expert in the field. Invaluable for students of Chinese studies, this book includes a glossary of key terms, a chronology and a guide to further reading. For the interested reader or traveler, it reveals a dynamic, diverse and fascinating culture, many aspects of which are now elucidated in English for the first time. "Highly recommended." - Choice1. Defining modern Chinese culture Kam Louie; 2. Social and political developments: the making of the twentieth-century Chinese state Peter Zarrow; 3. Historical consciousness and national identity Prasenjit Duara; 4. Gender in modern Chinese culture Harriet Evans; 5. Ethnicity and Chinese identity: ethnographic insight and political positioning William Jankowiak; 6. Flag, flame and embers: diaspora cultures Wang Gungwu; 7. Modernizing Confucianism and 'new Confucianism' Tan Sor-hoon; 8. Socialism in China: a historical overview Arif Dirlik; 9. Chinese religious traditions from 1900-2005: an overview Daniel Overmeyer; 10. Languages in a modernizing China Chen Ping; 11. The revolutionary tradition in modern Chinese literature Charles Laughlin; 12. The involutionary tradition in modern Chinese literature Michel Hockx; 13. Music and performing arts: tradition, reform and political and social relevance Colin Mackerras; 14. Revolutions in vision: Chinese art and the experience of modernity David Clarke; 15. Cinema: from foreign import to global brand Chris Berry; 16. Media boom and cyber culture: television and the internet in China Liu Kang; 17. Physical culture, sports and the Olympics Susan Brownell; Glossary of Chinese characters; Index.