ABSTRACT
Two literary trends, Literature of Trauma and Literature of Reflection, came to popularity during the late 1970s and early 1980s, a period marked by unprecedented intellectual ferment in the history of the PRC. They gained wide popularity because of their open criticism of China's political and social shortcomings and in-depth reflections on the cultural elements behind these problems, often going far beyond the immediate historical circumstances of the time. Openness in economic policies and the move towards social modernization brought a relaxation of government control over literary activities. Due to the relaxation of control over literary activities, a logical consequence of China's reform and opening, the literary circles of the post-Cultural Revolution era witnessed a surge in literary creations. The term "Literature of Trauma" came into being in the controversies raised by the publication of Lu Xinhua's story on August 11, 1977.
