Changes

==Culture and fashion==

==Culture and fashion==

China in the 1920s and early 1930s was more than squalid tales of greed, corruption, and betrayal among the militarists. This was also the “high modern” period when all things modern and “scientific” were revered. Writers abandoned the classical style of Confucius in favor of idioms and constructions closer to contemporary spoken Chinese. Language reformer Hu Shih published a volume of [[Mandarin]] poetry in 1920.<ref>Hu Shih, ''Expectations'' (1920).</ref> Although these poems are insipid as literature, they do demonstrate the potential of Mandarin as a language. Lu Xun's novel ''The True Story of Ah Q'' (1921) is a more successful example of the new vernacular style. The shift from Classical Chinese to Mandarin can be compared to the shift from Latin to vernacular that occurred earlier in Europe, with Chaucer (for English) and Dante (for Italian).<ref>Hsia, C.T., "The Early Period," ''A History of Modern Chinese Fiction'' (1961).</ref>

China in the 1920s and early 1930s was more than squalid tales of greed, corruption, and betrayal among the militarists. This was also the “high modern” period when all things modern and “scientific” were revered. Writers abandoned the classical style of Confucius in favor of idioms and constructions closer to contemporary spoken Chinese. Language reformer Hu Shih published a volume of [[Mandarin]] poetry in 1920.<ref>Hu Shih, ''Expectations'' (1920).</ref> Although these poems are insipid as literature, they do demonstrate the potential of Mandarin as a language. Lu Xun's novel ''The True Story of Ah Q'' (1921) is a more successful example of the new vernacular style. The shift from Classical Chinese to Mandarin can be compared to the shift from Latin to vernacular that occurred earlier in Europe, with Chaucer (for English) and Dante (for Italian).<ref>Hsia, C.T., "The Early Period," ''A History of Modern Chinese Fiction'' (1999).</ref>

There were campaigns against footbinding, concubinage, and other abusive practices toward women. By the 1930s, the politically-oriented "New Woman" had been displaced by the fashion-conscious "Modern Girl."<ref>Ma, Yuxin, ''[http://books.google.de/books?id=TiVg_CP4rMAC&dq= Women Journalists and Feminism in China, 1898-1937]'' (2010). The term "modern girl" was popularized by the Japanese novel ''Naomi'' (1924) by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.</ref> The product of mass advertising, women's magazines, and the influence of Japanese fashion, she had unbound feet, wore her hair bobbed or permed, and sported a tight-fitting ''qípáo''.<ref name=Dong>Dong, Madeline Y., "Who is afraid of the Chinese Modern Girl?", ''The Modern Girl Around the World: Consumption, Modernity, and Globalization'' (2008).</ref> Was she looking for love, or a chance to work her feminine wiles and con a sap out of his life savings? Opinion was divided among writers of the time. The international city of Shanghai was the epicenter of high modern culture.<ref name="Dong" /> In the early 1930s, the Modern Girl outfit grew in popularity until it was practically a uniform. She could be from any class, rich or poor. Even young women in destitute Shanghai districts were somehow able to come up with money for cosmetics and clothing, although their families could barely afford to eat.<ref name="Dong" /> In rural China, cultural norms changed more slowly. The arranged marriage was still cherished, the focus of family remained the production of children who would worship the ancestors, a woman was told to be a "good wife and a wise mother."

There were campaigns against footbinding, concubinage, and other abusive practices toward women. By the 1930s, the politically-oriented "New Woman" had been displaced by the fashion-conscious "Modern Girl."<ref>Ma, Yuxin, ''[http://books.google.de/books?id=TiVg_CP4rMAC&dq= Women Journalists and Feminism in China, 1898-1937]'' (2010). The term "modern girl" was popularized by the Japanese novel ''Naomi'' (1924) by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.</ref> The product of mass advertising, women's magazines, and the influence of Japanese fashion, she had unbound feet, wore her hair bobbed or permed, and sported a tight-fitting ''qípáo''.<ref name=Dong>Dong, Madeline Y., "Who is afraid of the Chinese Modern Girl?", ''The Modern Girl Around the World: Consumption, Modernity, and Globalization'' (2008).</ref> Was she looking for love, or a chance to work her feminine wiles and con a sap out of his life savings? Opinion was divided among writers of the time. The international city of Shanghai was the epicenter of high modern culture.<ref name="Dong" /> In the early 1930s, the Modern Girl outfit grew in popularity until it was practically a uniform. She could be from any class, rich or poor. Even young women in destitute Shanghai districts were somehow able to come up with money for cosmetics and clothing, although their families could barely afford to eat.<ref name="Dong" /> In rural China, cultural norms changed more slowly. The arranged marriage was still cherished, the focus of family remained the production of children who would worship the ancestors, a woman was told to be a "good wife and a wise mother."