The depiction of the values of the Chinese Cultural Revolution and Taoism in the cycle of works by Ah Cheng

Abstract

This paper studies the cycle of works by one of the outstanding Chinese writers of the “root-seeking” literary movement- Ah Cheng. The research includes his works “The King of Chess”, “The King of Children” and “The King of the Tree”, where the main theme is the comparison of the past and the new world order. The main purpose of this work was to study the axiological conceptosphere of these works, namely, to identify the features of depicting the values of Taoist philosophy as a classical ideology and the Chinese cultural revolution as a new ideology. As a result of the study, it was found that in the works of Ah Cheng, these ideologies coexist both in society as a whole and in each individual person. Among the main values of Taoism, the author highlights the following: life in harmony with nature, the representation of the world as a single whole (organism), the principle of non-action and the cult of honor of ancestors, authorities. Also, among the new values of the cultural revolution, such as the practical use of natural resources, the perception of man as the crown of creation, the idea of human independence, independence from external forces, and the denial of previous stereotypes were identified. It was revealed that these values are mainly revealed through the dialogues of the characters, as well as their internal monologues, which often include rhetorical questions addressed to the character and to the reader. In addition, metaphors and implicitness play an important role in the depiction of values, which is especially characteristic of Taoist philosophy as an eastern tradition, where the main ideas are conveyed allegorically, with hidden meanings. In addition, it was found that the values of Taoism are also realized in the description of landscapes, since one of the foundations of Taoism is the connection of man with nature.

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