Twentieth Century Chinese Folklore Classics · Academic History Volume

Author: Yuan Li, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-03-01
Features: This volume includes nearly 60 articles, outlining the development of Chinese folklore studies over a century in the 20th century from various perspectives such as academic debates, historical reviews, character critiques, and historical materials. The development of folklore studies aligns with the times, with varying research emphases in different historical periods. At the beginning of the 20th century, influenced by Western learning, folklore studies flourished. From its inception, it upheld the spirit of science, democracy, and localization. Over the years, folklore studies experienced ups and downs but consistently maintained this spirit. At the end of the century, folklore studies entered another period of peak development. Articles by scholars such as Zhong Jingwen, Yang Kun, Ma Changyi, and Chen Ziai depict the long journey of folklore studies over the past century. Eight distinguished predecessors—Huang Zunxian, Zhou Zuoren, Gu Jiegang, Mao Dun, Huangshi, Jiang Shaoyuan, Wen Yiduo, and Zhong Jingwen—dedicated their lives to advocating and promoting folklore studies. Their biographies reveal their contributions to the field and provide insights into their academic thoughts and achievements. Scholars such as Guo Moruo, Jia Zhi, and Hu Qiaojiu served as both leaders and scholars. Their directives and speeches from that era remain guiding principles for folklore research and work. The "12-Year Development Plan for Folklore Studies" proposed by Pan Guangdan, Wu Wenzao, and Yang Chengzhi sincerely outlined the direction and specific research tasks for the field. Articles by Yuan Ke and Zhang Hong in the 1980s sparked two major academic debates. The founding editorials for the Gēyáo Weekly written by Hu Shi and Zhou Zuoren, and the founding editorial for the Folklore journal by Gu Jiegang, are particularly rare historical materials. Mr. Wang Wenbao's chronology of folklore studies meticulously records important events, figures, and organizations in the field over the past century.