Decade of Upheaval: The Cultural Revolution in Rural China

A Decade of Upheaval is a book that explores the political disruption and violence in a rural Chinese county during the Cultural Revolution. It reveals a previously unimagined level of strife in the countryside, with the intervention of military forces in 1967 encouraging factional divisions. A backlash against suppression and victimization grew in the early 1970s, leading to active protests and the settling of scores against radical Maoism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 23 February 2021
Publisher: Princeton University Press

A Decade of Upheaval: Unveiling Political Disruption and Violence in a Rural Chinese County during the Cultural Revolution

The book "A Decade of Upheaval: Unveiling Political Disruption and Violence in a Rural Chinese County during the Cultural Revolution" delves into a previously unseen level of political strife that unfolded in a rural Chinese county during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution. Drawing on an extensive range of sources, including work diaries, interviews, internal party documents, and military directives, authors Dong Guoqiang and Andrew Walder shed light on the conflicts that began with the Red Guard Movement in 1966 and continued unabated until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976.

The authors reveal that the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution extended far into isolated rural regions, showcasing how the intervention of military forces in 1967 encouraged factional divisions in Feng County. Different branches of China's armed forces took sides.

The authors also expose how the fortunes of local political groups were closely tied to unpredictable shifts in the decisions of government authorities in Beijing, leading to a complex web of alliances and rivalries. As the early 1970s approached, a backlash against suppression and victimization grew, culminating in active protests that presaged the settling of scores against radical Maoism.

A Decade of Upheaval provides a meticulous examination of how one overlooked region experienced the Cultural Revolution, shedding light on the all-encompassing nature of this period in modern Chinese history. The book offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of the complexities and consequences of the Cultural Revolution, which had far-reaching effects on China and the world.

Weight: 384g
Dimension: 155 x 234 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691213217