Knowing the World and Educating the Self: Reportage in Chinese Left-Wing Culture in 1936

Although “reportage” as a term was first introduced in China in 1931, it gained new momentum in early 1936 with the translation of Egon Erwin Kisch’s theory on reportage. This translation was soon followed by a surge in Chinese reportage written by figures such as Zhou Libo, Xia Yan, and Qian Junrui. In 1936, Chinese reportage writing and theory moved away from the earlier emphasis on class consciousness to a new focus on the value of observation and social analysis. This change aligned with the Soviet Union’s rediscovery of world literature by bourgeois writers amidst the global anti-fascist battle. More importantly, as a part of the Popularization of Literature and Art Movement, reportage was beneficial to a large number of educated youths who had lived in the cities such as Shanghai and then retreated to the hinterland after the Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937. Through its incorporation of sociological achievements, this new form of reportage became a tool that educated young people could use to inform themselves and seek to enlighten the masses.