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Western Text next chapter   Yellow Earth : Western Analysis and
a Non-Western Text  Esther C. M. Yau  Vol. 41, no. 2 (Winter
1987–88): 22–33.   1984. China. The wounds of the Cultural
Revolution have been healing for nearly a decade. After the
hysterical tides of red flags, the fanatical chanting of
political slogans, and militant Mao supporters in khaki green or
white shirts and blue slacks paving every inch of Tienanmen
Square, come the flashy Toshiba billboards for refrigerators and
washing machines, the catchy phrases of "Four Modernizations,"
and tranquilized consumers in colorful outfits and leather heels
crowding the shops of Wangfujing Street. A context of Change.
Yet contradiction prevails. Who are these people flocking to
local theaters that posted First Blood on their billboards? Are
they not the same group that gathered for lessons on anti-
spiritual pollution? The Red Book and the pocket calculator are
drawn from shirt pockets without hast