ABSTRACT
On the canvas of Soviet culture, the Chinese painted their own "Soviet dream", a dream about material abundance, self-determination, and the delights of leisure and cultural enrichment. While the Soviet economic model was adopted as the path of development most in tune with China's socialist modernization, Soviet culture was perceived to be the best foundation and source of inspiration for China's new culture. Soviet cultural policy toward China, by contrast, was more benign, despite the occasionally arrogant and patronizing attitudes of Soviet leaders and some Soviet advisers working in China. To nurture Sino-Soviet friendship, China set before the Chinese people a cornucopia of Soviet art and literary works, and at the same time turned hostile towards American and Western European cultures. China's pro-Soviet propaganda served state politics and was subject to party dictates. It represented the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) attitude to the Soviet Union. This chapter also presents an overview of the book.
