Consequently, although they are authentic copies of the style of writing found in some stories of Chinese life written in the Peoples’ Republic prior to the ‘fall’ they do not do justice to the changes made since. In fact, it is possible that both Chou En-lai and Mao Tse-tung would be turning in their graves if they knew what is happening in the P.R.C. at present.

For example, there is now a greater emphasis on productivity and a resort to what Mao condemned as ‘material incentives’ to get industrialization moving. There is no indication of this trend, for example, in the story entitled ‘Huang Pao-shen – factory worker’, which takes account of the self-help theme of Maoism, but no account of the incentive system or the current willingness to examine foreign ideas and technology to boost the economy.

The section on medicine and education also takes little account of the post-Gang era. There is little indication of the turmoil in education which preceded the change. This included student hooliganism, disobedience of the teacher, poor attendance and delinquency. Matters did not always go so smoothly, as they do in the story about ‘Music in the Middle School’, in which the girl, Huang Ai-hua, is asked by the teacher to criticise the performance of the orchestra and the songs in the theatrical piece she is engaged in. Some teachers and pupils have been very upset at these criticism sessions. After the ‘Gang’, self criticism sessions have been reduced, and students are discouraged from expressing contradictory opinions in class.

The emphasis has been on greater attention to Expert than to Red in the educational sphere. Thus, China Reconstructs, April, 1978, complained that ‘to serve their own purpose the “gang of four” said, “we’d rather have workers without culture than intellectual aristocrats”. This kind of talk put being made cultured and being a worker with socialist consciousness in opposition to each other and caused much confusion among the people.’ The same magazine condemned Chang Tish-sheng who handed in a blank paper for his examination, but whose cause was taken up by the ‘Gang’, who praised him for ‘going against the tide’, admitted him to University, and had him appointed as a cadre. In 1973, a school student, Huang Shuai, wrote critical remarks against her teacher in a letter to the press, and was supported in her critique by the ‘Gang’. Since then, examinations have been reinstated, the time spent in political studies has been cut down, the amount of time spent by pupils in factories and communes has been reduced. It now seems possible for University entrants to go straight to the University after completing their schooling, instead of undergoing a mandatory two-year period in communes or factories. But this appears to apply to few candidates. As China Reconstructs (April, 1978) puts it, ‘because (China) has a huge population and there are not yet enough higher institutes, the percentage of accepted applicants (from school) is still very small.’ But the trend is towards more attention being paid to promotion of skills. It is the Chinese version of ‘Back to Basics’. Barefoot doctors are also to receive more academic training.

In short, there is a new scene since this collection of stories was written. The collection is, moreover, uncritical and does not supply any basis in itself for assessing the effectiveness of Chinese education, such as recommending any·particular books or magazines for study. Those who want to learn more about the situation in China under the present Chairmanship of Hua Kuo­feng will have to look beyond this collection.