published_or_final_version / History / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Master / Master of Philosophy

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It is the prevailing critical assessment of Mao Dun's early creative writing that he displays a singular insight in his portrayal of women. This thesis seeks not only to challenge this assessment by a predominantly male body of criticism but also the assumptions on which it is based, namely that an intellectual sympathy for the women’s cause necessarily implies a transcendence of the patriarchal attitudes with which society is imbued. The major short stories and novellas written between 1927 and 1932 are analysed systematically to identify Mao Dun's underlying attitudes towards women. His portrayal of women is assessed from the following perspectives:~ his autobiographical accounts of his encounters with women in his political and personal life and his deliberate association of his female comrades with his creative inspiration;- traditional Chinese perceptions of women and gender roles as these are manifested in the classical tradition;-- Mao Dun's numerous articles and essays on the women's question written during the nineteen twenties and his work in the women's section of the Party in Shanghai;- Mao Dun's attempt to reconcile his conflicting sympathies for feminism and socialism. This thesis relies for its methodology on Western feminist criticism. While the approach is maintained, in its application to the context of early twentieth century China, its eurocentrism in terms of cultural assumptions and perceptions of gender has been replaced by a definition of Chinese values. Since a fundamental prerequisite, of feminist criticism is the assessment of the writer in his/her own cultural context, a historical survey of the portrayal of women in traditional literature is provided to serve as a standard against which to measure Mao Dun’s portrayal.

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Chinese diaspora in the past seemed to have demonstrated a homeland orientation which made them more likely to cling onto the originating culture and society. This research aims at studying whether and to what extent the homeland orientation of the Chinese people has shifted over time and space. Aberdeen and Elgin were chosen as the bases for data collection. The economic establishment of the Chinese people from dependant migrants to independent businessmen is discussed in detail. The economic institutions which lead to the establishment of a career enclave within catering is also examined. The communal development of the Aberdeen and the Elgin Chinese is studied in terms of the three bases of internal solidarity, i.e., economics, religious faith and kin relations, which work in different ways in the two localities. Due to its uniqueness and its significance to the Elgin Chinese, their True Jesus Church is analysed in greater depth. Bearing in mind the economic and communal development of the Chinese people, the shift in homeland orientation is then examined by using Watson's study of the Mans (1975) as a base line. My findings show that the majority of my Chinese subjects no longer contemplate a return to their homeland. However, most of them would like to retain their cultural distinctiveness in Britain. To a certain extent, the primary point of reference for the Chinese seems to have shifted from the homeland to Britain. This shift is explained tentatively in terms of a transfer of the traditional power hierarchy of the family during migration. Also, the Elgin Chinese conform more to the overall pattern. Their relative uniformity and satisfaction with their lives after migration is explained in terms of the reconstitution of the True Jesus Church which caters for their many social and practical needs.