On Zhang Wentian Cultural Ideology

During the spell of the May Forth, the 1920s, and the 1930s, Zhang Wentian had advocated to keep the cream of our national culture, discard the dross of it and object conservation and nihility; insisted on criticizing and erasing Chinese feudal morality, learning and introducing western advanced culture vigorously; and criticized the idea of leftism in cultural dissemination. During the War of resistance against Japan, he defined the New Culture as national, democratic, scientific and masses-based, interpreted the relations between the New Culture, traditional culture, exotic culture, the Sanmin culture, and the masses culture and the prospect, and argued the character and duty of the United Front Line at the War of Resistance against Japan. After the built of the New China, he brought force the idea that culture should serve the socialism and the culture and economic construction should be carried on synchronously. In conclusion, this essay analysed roughly Zhang Wentian's cultural idea with Mao Zedong's by pointing out the differences and similarities, which indicates that Zhang Wentian's culture theory has made great influence on Mao's cultural thoughts and literature theories.