ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a glance at the Minister of Culture Wang Meng's career and at why his appointment is noteworthy. It then explores several of the problems which he faces in his new post. The regional opera, "Song of the Autumn Wind", was widely publicized in 1986; no one needed to spell out the fact that its Han Dynasty characters represented Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong, and virtuous Party regulars embroiled in Cultural Revolution. The chapter outlines some important changes in the technology by which the arts are produced and enjoyed. Other than large cities, even in the countryside there are signs of growing interest in foreign culture. Among the most sensitive of issues faced by Wang Meng as Minister of Culture is how to deal with the conflicts that have arisen within the culture that China has been creating since 1949.
