ABSTRACT
This chapter chronicles the development of Chinese youth literature loosely defined as non-curriculum publications primarily read by children and young adults within the dynamic social, political, and cultural context of modern China. It describes the Chinese youth literature, followed by an examination of lian huan hua (LHH) which was a popular format of pictorial reading materials enjoyed by Chinese youth for most of the twentieth century. The chapter discusses the ambiguous relationship between LHH and youth literature in China. American missionaries transplanted the Western practice of publishing youth literature to China and launched the earliest Chinese-language children's magazines. Youth literature is viewed as kiddie lit and LHH as popular ephemera, and both have received poor organization in Chinese libraries. Repurposed for political socialization and indoctrination, LHH, among other cultural artifacts, was the target of repeated purges after 1949. Many LHH titles of no more than half-a-century old can be found in private collectors hands and are sold as collectables.
