Historical Dictionary of the Cultural Revolution (Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras) - Hardcover

Jian, Guo; Song, Yongyi; Zhou, Yuan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810854619 ISBN 13: 9780810854611

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2006

Synopsis

The Cultural Revolution in the People's Republic of China started in 1966 and lasted about a decade. This revolutionary upsurge of Chinese students and workers, led by Mao Zedong, wreaked havoc in the world's most populous country, often turning things upside down and undermining the party, government, and army while simultaneously weakening the economy, society, and culture. Tens of millions of people were killed, injured, or imprisoned during this period and relatively few benefited, aside from Mao Zedong and the Gang of Four, the group that would eventually receive the blame for the events of the Cultural Revolution. Given the turbulence and confusion, it is hard to know just what happened. The Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution tackles this task. First, in an extensive chronology, which traces the events from year to year and month to month, then in an introduction puts these events in context and helps to explain them. But most importantly, the bulk of the information is provided in a dictionary section with numerous cross-referenced entries on important persons, places, institutions, and movements. A bibliography points to further sources of information and a glossary will help those researching in Chinese.

About this title

Review:

A much needed dictionary--complete, authoritative, and clear--for the Orwellian language of late Maoism in China.--Perry Link, University of California, Riverside "Princeton University "

Recommendeddddd--CHOICE, Vol. 44, No. 6 (February 2007)

Recommended...--Booklist, 2/15/2007

...highly recommended...--American Reference Books Annual, vol. 38 (2007)

Roughly lasting from 1966 to 1976, the Chinese Cultural Revolution was a period of extreme social, political, ideological, economic, and cultural upheaval. The editors (a professor of English and Chinese at the U. of Wisconsin and a pair of librarians from California State U. and the U. of Chicago), all of whom lived through the Cultural Revolution, begin this historical dictionary with a brief narrative introduction to its antecedents, historical course, and legacy. They then present cross-referenced, alphabetical entries describing key individuals, organizations, concepts, and events from the era. They also provide a chronology, a glossary, and a thematic bibliography.--Reference and Research Book News, November 2006

This authoritative, comprehensible, long-needed guide to a modern enigma is exemplary, and should be acquired by all libraries--at any level, from high school to research institute.--"American Reference Books Annual," Vol. 21, No. 3 (2007)

About the Author:

Guo Jian is Professor of English and Chinese at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Yongyi Song is on the library faculty at California State University, Los Angeles. Yuan Zhou is the Curator of the East Asian Library of the University of Chicago.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0810854619
• ISBN 13: 9780810854611
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 504