Journal of East China Normal University (Philosoph ›› 2013, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 54-60.

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The Compromise between Socialism and Consumerism in China

GE Kai   

  • Online:2013-07-15 Published:2013-09-09
  • Contact: GE Kai
  • About author:GE Kai

Abstract: How did the consumerism survive under the ideology of communism in China in 1950s? Consumerism continued to exist in a society with a different ideology after 1949. What were policies behind this continuity? What was the international influence from other socialist countries? Through examining the advertisements in 1950s, this thesis aims to illustrate that there were various continuities, rather than sharp breakage, in the societies around 1949. This can help us understand why consumerism re-flourished in a sudden moment in China after the practice of reform and opening up policy. This study can also be seen as a response to the changed international trend in the research of Chairman Mao’s, that is, from studying what had been changed to studying what had been inherited in Chairman Mao’s time.