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Literature In Chinese Literature

Decent Essays

Chinese literature in the first half of the century was characterized by modernization and westernization. Most writers warned to separate from classical Chinese. This included writers such as Zhang Ailing, Lu Xun, and Xiao Hong. Not only did their education have an impact on their beginnings as a writer, but as we can see through their novels, their childhood also have an affect on their writings. Zhang Ailing, also known by her name Eileen Chang, was born into a wealthy family, but she had a troubled childhood. Her father was addicted to opium and she left with her mother to France, and did not return to China until later on. Her experiences in China were not happy, and when she left, she no longer gave her tales a happy ending. When she went back to Hong Kong and war had broken out, girls were portrayed as caring more about themselves than the actual dangers of the war. One girl, Ailing describes panicking because she did not have enough wardrobe suitable for the war. But it was not only her, it was almost everyone who had a psychological response with some close association with clothing. Ailing gives the example of Sureika, who came from a remote village on the Malay peninsula. She was unlike any other girl at school, she chose medicine instead of the normal education and was seen as naive. After they were instructed to hide, when a bomb had landed next to their dorm, Sureika sorted out her brightest clothes and went to serve as a nurse for Red Cross. Her bright

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