This book slowly emerged from my reading of, and reflection on, a vast body
of literary works on the Cultural Revolution in the past three and a half
decades—a period during which I lived first as a sent-down youth, then a factory worker, and now a literary scholar. I wish to express my deep thanks to my
former teachers in China and the United States who enlightened me on the
subject of literature, especially to Professor Feibai, for showing me the subtlety
and richness of literature, and Professor Theodore Huters, for teaching me how
to critically read the many complexities in literary works.
This project would not have been initiated if I had not received an award
from the Faculty Research Fund at the University of Denver in the fall quarter of 2008, which allowed me to take a quarter off from teaching to conduct
research at the Universities Service Center for China Studies at the Chinese
University of Hong Kong. I am grateful to Professor Wang Shaoguang for introducing me to the rich resources on the Cultural Revolution that the Service
Center offers and to Dr. Gao Qi and Jean K.M. Hung for making my visit productive in many ways.