STAGING THE EXTREMES: The Blurred Line Between Performative Violence and Real Violence During China’s Cultural Revolution
Instructor: Serena Wang
December, 2024 (Forthcoming)
Distinction Project in Music History
Cover photo: A local peasant leads the crowd in chanting slogans during a “fight against the enemies” rally in Heilongjiang Province on May 12, 1965.
Li ZhenSheng, Red Color News Solider
Instructor: Serena Wang
December, 2024 (Forthcoming)
Distinction Project in Music History
Cover photo: A local peasant leads the crowd in chanting slogans during a “fight against the enemies” rally in Heilongjiang Province on May 12, 1965.
Li ZhenSheng, Red Color News Solider
This essay examines the interconnectedness of Model Operas (Yangbanxi) and Struggle Sessions (Pīdòuhuì) during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), exploring their roles as tools for ideological indoctrination and political violence. While seemingly distinct—Model Operas were curated performances promoting revolutionary ideals, and Struggle Sessions were violent public denunciations—the two shared spatial, sonic, and emotional dynamics that blurred the line between staged and real violence. Through the concept of “reciprocal conditioning,” the essay analyzes how these practices reinforced each other, with operas legitimizing violence and sessions embedding it into everyday life.
Focusing on shared use of space, soundscapes, and emotional manipulation, the study highlights how both practices utilized collective settings like ceremonial halls and Danwei spaces to normalize class struggle. This analysis deepens understanding of how art and violence became intertwined in shaping political ideology during one of China’s most turbulent eras, revealing enduring legacies in cultural memory and global parallels.
Focusing on shared use of space, soundscapes, and emotional manipulation, the study highlights how both practices utilized collective settings like ceremonial halls and Danwei spaces to normalize class struggle. This analysis deepens understanding of how art and violence became intertwined in shaping political ideology during one of China’s most turbulent eras, revealing enduring legacies in cultural memory and global parallels.