Historical Investigation On Zhang Ailing Cultural Phenomenon

From the history of literature acceptance view, the paper presents a macro investigation on the cultural phenomenon of Zhang Ailing and her works. Zhang Ailing and her works were once popular, then ignored and at last drew wide attention again since the middle of last century. Through the investigation, the paper aims at revealing change of the times and society reflected from the cultural phenomenon. The paper consists of four parts:1. During the ruling period by Japanese and its puppet regime, Zhang Ailing became popular overnight. The popularity of Zhang Ailing had close connection with the special social environment in the Japanese-occupied area: Rulers in the Japanese and puppet regime carried out the policy of enslavilized education and advocated colonialism culture, while pretended to sugar up reality, in some respects, Zhang Ailing's works happened to pander to the need of the Japanese and puppet regime. The occupation of Shanghai by Japanese forced so many famous writers to leave Shanghai or withdraw from the literary world, which offered a good opportunity for Zhang Ailing. During the rulingperiod by the Japanese and puppet regime, the residents in Shanghai kept silent from politics and felt gloomy and confused about the future of nation as well as of themselves. Thus Zhang Ailing's works attracted them with desolate melody. Additionally, the lopsided love between Zhang Ailing and the high official Hu Lancheng who worked for Wang Jingwei's puppet government triggered Zhang's popularity.2. The falling of Zhang Ailing's popularity after Chinese won the Anti-Japanese War. From 1945 to 1949, owing to her so-called disshameful reputation of "cultural traitor to China", Zhang Ailing's works seldom appeareared on public. Moreover, the turbulence of political situation, economic depression and skyrocketing prices in Shanghai reduced the amount of her readers. After People's Republic of China was founded, affected by then political ideology, Zhang Ailing's works had been kept in a long time out of door of the modern literature history. At the same time, the Kuomintang government, after their retreating to Taiwan, greatly advocated anti-communism literature, by which Zhang Ailing's works were affected and eventually not accepted by Taiwan society.3. Zhang Ailing migarated to the U.S.without recognition by American society due to long-term existence of racial discrimination and cultural exclusion. After the Second World War, excluding China mood countinued rising in America.The American government regarded Chinaas an enmey for its socialist system and its foreign policy of standing by the Soviet Union and being against U.S.A.. Zhang Ailing's works, unfortunately, could not be compatible with such reality. And on her own part, the trouble by her failure marrige mingled with her poor financial condition exhausted her writing imaginary .4. In the 1960s-70s, Zhang Ailing became popular first in Taiwan then in Hongkong. In the late 1980s, with the reemerging of cute for Zhang Ailing's works in the main land of China and with more and more fans, Zhang Ailing became the symbol of pop culture. The emerging of cute for Zhang Ailing's works in the main land, Taiwan and Hongkong all revealed the changes of times and society in China, though there existed some differences in some respects as time of emergence and its cause.Generally speaking, the phenomenon of Zhang Ailing is the result of effect made by historical resultant force and the impression of the change of times. The reflecting of Zhang Ailing culture phenomenon from historical point of view would let us maintain clear sense and judgement among enthusisam adorement and make a fair judgement and evaluation.