FragmentedMemoriesandScreeningNostalgiafortheCulturalRevolutionarguesthatfilmsandTVdramasabouttheCulturalRevolutionmadeafterChina’saccessiontotheWTOin2001tendtorepresentpersonalmemoriesinamarkedlysentimental,nostalgic,andfragmentedmanner.Thisnewtrendisasignificantdeparturefromearlierfilmsaboutthesubject,whicharegenerallyinterpretedasnationalallegories,notprivateexpressionsofgrief,regretorotherpersonalfeelings.WithChinaenteringapostsocialistera,theideologicalconflationofsocialismandglobalcapitalismhasgeneratedenoughculturalambiguitytoallowaspacefortheexpressionofpersonalizedreminiscencesofthepast.Bypresentingthesepersonalmemories―ineffectalternativenarrativestoofficialhistory―onscreen,individualsnowseemtohavesomeagencyinnarratingandconstructinghistory.Atthesametimesuchautonomycanbeeasilyunderminedsincethepromotionofthesentimentofnostalgiaisoftensubjectedtocommodification.Sentimentaltreatmentsofthepastmaysimplybeamarketingstrategy.Underplayingpoliticalissuesisalsoa‘safer’wayforfilmsandTVdramastosecurepublicreleaseinmainlandChina.Mengconcludesthatthenewmodeofrepresentingthepastisshapedbythecurrentsociopoliticalconditions:thesepersonalmemoriesandmicro-narrativescanbeunderstoodasthedefiningwaysofrememberinginChina’spostsocialistera.
