“Based on superior scholarship and written in a pleasant yet profound style, Charles A. Laughlin’s sensitive readings and surprising interpretations of little-known but highly intriguing texts open up important new vistas for all scholars of literature who oppose the restrictive concept of ‘univeral literary values’ and seek to replace it with methods that emphasize and bring out cultural and historical differences. By analyzing ... Read morethe aesthetics of reportage, Laughlin demonstrates that this unique and important genre of modern Chinese writing was much more than just a tool for political agitation but that it provided its substantial readership with a genuinely literary experience.”—Michel Hockx, SOAS, University of London “This is the first full-length English study of Chinese reportage, following its development from the turn of the century to the founding of the People’s Republic. Charles A. Laughlin delineates the genesis and transformation of a genre that had a powerful impact on the making of Chinese literary and political modernity, and he inquires into the treacherous terms by means of which Chinese writers sought to understand reality and its representation. Theoretically provocative and historically engaged, this book will be of tremendous significance for anyone interested in modern Chinese literature, history, journalism, and politics.”—David Der-wei Wang, Columbia University Show Less