A Glance at the Underground Reading Movement during the Cultural Revolution

This paper examines the underground reading movement during the Cultural Revolution, which is a long-overlooked theme of the journey to spiritual awakening of the young generation in the field. It attempts to make the following points: (1) numerous underground reading groups emerged across China from 1966 to 1976; (2) the disastrous consequences of the Revolution drove the young explorers to seek out truth through all kinds of books, especially the writings of the ‘enemies of the revolution’; (3) the sent-down movement further promoted the readings; and (4) despite the limitations, the underground reading movement represented the greatest challenge to Mao and the Party establishment.