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Why were Shen Congwen and Zhang Ailing rediscovered in mainland China during the mid-1980s?

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Scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms — Chinese literature *Zhang Fei on the Long Sloped Bridge Turning Away One Million Wei Troops with a Powerful Stare*, woodblock colour print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1884. It depicts a scene from the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*.

The rediscovery of Shen Congwen and Zhang Ailing in mainland China during the mid-1980s marked the end of a nearly 30-year period during which their works were largely absent from bookstores and literary histories.1

Following the Cultural Revolution (1966–76) and the subsequent death of Mao Zedong, the Chinese literary landscape underwent a significant transformation. As the political climate shifted and surviving writers were rehabilitated, the rigid constraints of the previous decades—which had prioritized Socialist Realism and political utility—began to loosen.12

This period of liberalization allowed for a broader exploration of literature beyond the narrow scope of party-approved works. The mid-1980s saw a move toward more professional and daring writing, creating an environment where the works of these previously marginalized modern writers could be reintroduced to the public. In the case of Zhang Ailing, her popularity in mainland China followed a broader revival of interest that had already emerged in Taiwan and Hong Kong, eventually leading to the collection of her works in a 16-volume set in the early 1990s.13