Within a tightly controlled environment, literature has become the major screen onto which the political class of the People’s Republic of China projects some of its battles. This work explores the potential of literary analysis for illuminating the PRC’s social, intellectual, and political history, illustrating swings in the Party line with stories, articles, and cartoons from the popular press. This book presents materials hitherto scarcely topped and should offer new insights to those interested in Chinese literature, Russian and East European literature, and modern social and political history.