The changing literary environment for rural junior high school

The changing literary environment for rural junior high school students in China: the case of Xiang Yi in Shandong Province, PRC

ZHU Shanjie

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 15:1, 143-153,DOI: 10.1080/14649373.2014.872982

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2014.872982

ABSTRACT:                   

This essay presents a case study of the current literary environment for rural junior high school students at Xiang Yi in Shandong Province of the People’s Republic of China, focusing on literary resources available in family, school, and the local community. A comparison with the mid 1990s scenario reveals astonishing transformations that came about as a result of changes in four aspects: mode of production and lifestyles, culture and recreation, cultural network, and the school system. The case of Xiang Yi is representative of China’s townships, where many of the future literary readers, writers and researchers will be educated. The literary environment in such towns is bound to have a far-reaching impact on Chinese literary creation and criticism in the future.