Memoire of Socialism and the Chinese Enlightenment

Abstract

The debate regarding the issue of whether the idea and practice of the Cultural Revolution was, and is, valid triggers diametrical opposition between the left and the right in China. In this regard, this chapter discusses two movies, In the Heat of the Sun (1994) and Eleven Flowers (2012), which present two lifestyles from the days of Maoist socialism, particularly with reference to the historical significance and repercussions of the Cultural Revolution. They share many comparable narrative forms, as well as thematic concerns. Yet, their intellectual inclinations are widely opposite and their cultural-political orientations divergent. Thus, comparison of these two films not only can teach us how seemingly similar subjects and concerns can yield a variety of interpretations with diversified cultural-political ramifications, but also can inform us what is radical/idealist and what is conservative in China’s New Wave Cinema, in particular, and in society, in general.