Yale University Library News

Lucky Dandelion: Reflections from the Educated Youth Generation on the “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside” Movement (1968-1980)

October 27, 2016

All are welcome to join us on Monday, October 31 at 12:30 pm in the East Asia Library (2nd Floor of SML) for this talk by Wei Su (East Asian Languages and Literature at Yale), Charles Lu (Yale School of Medicine) and Ping Zhang (Yale School of Medicine), to mark the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China.

One of major events during the Cultural Revolution was a nationwide “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside" movement (1968-1980), which “sent down” 17 million educated youth to live and work in rural villages and frontier settlements. In this talk, the three Yale speakers, who were also members of the educated youth generation – Wei Su, Charles Lu, and Ping Zhang – will share with the audience their “sent-down” experiences and reflections on the movement and Cultural Revolution. The talk is in conjunction with the current exhibit in the East Asia Library, From Propaganda Mobilization to Youth Demobilization: Selected Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) Sources in the Yale University Library.

A light lunch will be provided.