ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Sino-Japanese Friendship Association, which, in 1965, sponsored the visit of 500 Japanese delegates to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It describes this particular incident for two reasons. First, the limited space herein renders a thorough discussion of the Cultural Revolution nearly impossible. But second, and more importantly, analyzing the Japanese delegation's visit to the PRC actually sheds profound light on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the implications of the Sino-Soviet split, and Chinese transnationalism, which was critical to the development of politics and culture in the 1960s. One of the crucial characteristics of the Chinese Sixties is the way in which foreign radicalism was co-opted and Sinified—infused with Maoist symbols and codes so as to be more recognizable and palatable to the Chinese people. Constructing the Sixties also required synchronizing the world—the CCP made it appear as if international social movements mirrored what was happening in China.
