People or Monsters
Encyclopedia
People or Monsters is a work of reportage by the Chinese writer Liu Binyan
about a corrupt official in the northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang
named Wang Shouxin
. People or Monsters created a sensation when it was published in 1979, and became a central element in the effort in China to reflect on and understand the course of Chinese social development, particularly over the course of the Cultural Revolution
.
in September, 1979. It dealt with corruption during the period extending from the mid 1960s until the investigation and prosecution of Wang Shouxin
beginning in late 1978.
Liu also explores the nature of party affiliation in People or Monsters. Liu was deeply troubled by the fact that all the guilty people were members of the reigning Chinese Communist Party. Moreover, he raised the touchy subject of whether a "party" of one's personal cronies is actually the operative institution in China. In his memoir, he puts it bluntly: "various groups had been formed for self-protection or pormotion of interests. And with the Cultural Revolution
, new groups had been formed."
Another important theme in People or Monsters is the mood of the nation. He describes "Weakening of the Backbone" as the affliction of the times, and in one of his memoirs he wrote of the spiritual malaise he saw Chinese society suffering from.
The treatment of characters in People or Monsters has the effect of reminding readers of people they know. "What was powerful about Liu's piece was it universality: everyone in China knew people like Wang Shouxin, and it made everyone think of all those who had not been brought to justice."
A major concern of the author was who, in fact, will be lone person to speak out when it is needed (particularly in the face of harsh intimidation). He ironically refers to the villain as "A Heroine for Our Time," but in really hails "Nobodies who Became Somebodies," focussing on two stubborn whistleblowers.
Overall, the style of People or Monsters relies heavily on irony
, stressing the many cases in which "the world is turned upside down" and "good people are at the bottom and bad people are on top." This is related to the theme of the absence of direct communication, and the need for indirect communication.
All the King's Men
by Robert Penn Warren
is a novel about the political career of Huey P. Long and the political culture in Louisiana
.
The traditional Chinese novel The Scholars gives a perspective on the political culture of corruption in pre-modern China.
More generally, People or Monsters and the work of Liu Binyan
can be compared to the work of other muckraking journalists
.
Liu Binyan,People or Monsters and other stories and reportage from China after Mao, translated by Perry Link. ISBN 0253203139
Liu Binyan
Liu Binyan was a Chinese author and journalist, as well as a political dissident.Many of the events in Liu's life are recounted in his memoir, A Higher Kind of Loyalty.-Early life:...
about a corrupt official in the northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang
For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...
named Wang Shouxin
Wang Shouxin
Wang Shouxin - a middle-level cadre of the Chinese Communist Party who became known for the biggest corruption scandal of PRC ever known as of 1979.Working in Heilongjiang province, she embezzled at least 536 000 yuan of state property...
. People or Monsters created a sensation when it was published in 1979, and became a central element in the effort in China to reflect on and understand the course of Chinese social development, particularly over the course of the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.
History
People or Monsters was published in People's LiteraturePeople's Literature
People's Literature was the first literary magazine to be created in communist China. The calligraphy for the title was done by Chairman Mao Zedong....
in September, 1979. It dealt with corruption during the period extending from the mid 1960s until the investigation and prosecution of Wang Shouxin
Wang Shouxin
Wang Shouxin - a middle-level cadre of the Chinese Communist Party who became known for the biggest corruption scandal of PRC ever known as of 1979.Working in Heilongjiang province, she embezzled at least 536 000 yuan of state property...
beginning in late 1978.
Subject Matter and Themes
A major theme of People or Monsters is the root origins that lie beneath the corruption described. Liu devotes a section to detailing "The Interchange System," and calls it the "root of the matter." In his memoir, he said that the story describes a local "planned economy" that was "in practice, nothing but a continuous flow of public resources in tho the private pockets of the power-holders" and a "network of relationships, that reciprocal exchange of power and cash."Liu also explores the nature of party affiliation in People or Monsters. Liu was deeply troubled by the fact that all the guilty people were members of the reigning Chinese Communist Party. Moreover, he raised the touchy subject of whether a "party" of one's personal cronies is actually the operative institution in China. In his memoir, he puts it bluntly: "various groups had been formed for self-protection or pormotion of interests. And with the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, new groups had been formed."
Another important theme in People or Monsters is the mood of the nation. He describes "Weakening of the Backbone" as the affliction of the times, and in one of his memoirs he wrote of the spiritual malaise he saw Chinese society suffering from.
The treatment of characters in People or Monsters has the effect of reminding readers of people they know. "What was powerful about Liu's piece was it universality: everyone in China knew people like Wang Shouxin, and it made everyone think of all those who had not been brought to justice."
A major concern of the author was who, in fact, will be lone person to speak out when it is needed (particularly in the face of harsh intimidation). He ironically refers to the villain as "A Heroine for Our Time," but in really hails "Nobodies who Became Somebodies," focussing on two stubborn whistleblowers.
Overall, the style of People or Monsters relies heavily on irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
, stressing the many cases in which "the world is turned upside down" and "good people are at the bottom and bad people are on top." This is related to the theme of the absence of direct communication, and the need for indirect communication.
Historical significance
People or Monsters was widely read in China, and was broadly re-distributed following initial publication. It was the first in a series of works describing corruption and social problems, and was noteworthy for its use of fact-based reporting (reportage) in place of pure fiction.Comparative Perspective
People or Monsters bears comparison with other works of modern literature dealing with the problems of corruption and the political culture of corruption.All the King's Men
All the King's Men
All the King's Men is a novel by Robert Penn Warren first published in 1946. Its title is drawn from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. In 1947 Warren won the Pulitzer Prize for All the King's Men....
by Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
is a novel about the political career of Huey P. Long and the political culture in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
The traditional Chinese novel The Scholars gives a perspective on the political culture of corruption in pre-modern China.
More generally, People or Monsters and the work of Liu Binyan
Liu Binyan
Liu Binyan was a Chinese author and journalist, as well as a political dissident.Many of the events in Liu's life are recounted in his memoir, A Higher Kind of Loyalty.-Early life:...
can be compared to the work of other muckraking journalists
Muckraker
The term muckraker is closely associated with reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines, continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting, and emerged in the United States after 1900 and continued to be influential until World War I, when through a combination...
.
English translations
Lee Yee, ed. The New Realism: Writings from China after the Cultural Revolution, New York: Hippocrene, 1983. Translated as "Between Human and Demon" by Lu Yunzhong and Gu Tingfu.)Liu Binyan,People or Monsters and other stories and reportage from China after Mao, translated by Perry Link. ISBN 0253203139