Gods' Carnival: A Cultural Phenomenon in China at the Turn of the Century

Author: Meng Huafan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: Scholar Meng Huafan, with his keen observations, profound reflections, and fervent passion, guides us through the clamor and distractions of the world, offering a panoramic scan of the cultural conflicts in contemporary China. He tells us that the carnival under the banner of globalization is merely a false facade of this era. Modernity has broken historical experience, while tradition continues, and cultural conflicts are inevitably upon us, with the costs we must bear taking on a fateful hue. This book will help us dispel the layers of mist of mass culture, giving us profound awakening and deep humanistic care. At the turn of the century, the "gods" liberated in the market economy ushered in an age of carnival. The carnival of cultural gods has shattered the boundaries between center and periphery, elites and the masses, giving rise to a pluralistic, open, modern, and new cultural force that is being generated, displayed, and spread. Mass culture of consumption and mass culture of hedonism are mythically reshaping culture. Meanwhile, the so-called "mainstream culture," "intellectual culture," and "market culture" are entangled in complex relationships. The dazzling glow of mass culture cannot hide our loss and pain. Should we still hold reverence and awe for classics and traditions? Where should we seek and express the collapse of ideals and inner confusion? Is our soul gradually transforming into a colorful desert?