Moving the Masses: Emotion Work in the Chinese Revolution

Moving the Masses examines how Chinese Communist revolutionaries mobilized popular support through strategic use of cultural traditions and emotional appeals. The book focuses on the period from the 1920s through the 1940s, analyzing how communist organizers adapted and deployed folk arts, ritual practices, and local customs to advance their revolutionary agenda. Perry draws on extensive archival research and primary sources to document specific techniques used by party cadres to generate mass participation in the revolution. The work explores how activists transformed traditional Chinese practices like yangge dance, spirit mediums, and funeral rites into vehicles for political messaging and recruitment. The study traces the evolution of these emotion-centered mobilization strategies from their experimental origins in urban labor movements to their refinement during the Resistance War and eventual standardization as core revolutionary methods. The analysis includes detailed cases from multiple regions of China to demonstrate both the diversity and commonality of these approaches. This research challenges conventional views about the Chinese Revolution by highlighting the critical role of cultural work and emotional manipulation in building mass support. The book demonstrates how revolutionary success depended not just on ideology and military might, but on activists' ability to tap into and redirect existing cultural forms and emotional resonance.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Elizabeth Perry's overall work: Elizabeth Perry's academic works receive consistent praise from scholars and graduate students studying Chinese politics and social movements. Readers highlight her detailed archival research and ability to explain complex political dynamics through specific case studies. What readers liked: - Clear writing style that makes academic concepts accessible - Deep historical analysis backed by extensive primary sources - Balanced perspective on Chinese state-society relations - Thorough documentation of labor movements and protests What readers disliked: - Dense academic prose in some sections - High cost of textbooks/academic editions - Limited appeal outside academic circles - Some readers note dated examples in older works Ratings from Academic Review Sites: Google Scholar: Cited 12,000+ times across major works Amazon: "Shanghai on Strike" - 4.5/5 (12 reviews) JSTOR Reviews: Consistently rated 4-5 stars by academic peers Common reader note: "Essential reading for graduate students in Chinese politics but may be too specialized for general audience" - from multiple Goodreads reviews.

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📚 Elizabeth Perry drew upon previously untapped government archives and personal collections to reveal how Communist Party leaders strategically used "emotion work" to mobilize millions of Chinese citizens. 🎭 The book explores how revolutionary songs, theater performances, and storytelling sessions were carefully crafted to evoke specific emotional responses that would support the revolution's goals. 🗣️ Communist organizers were trained in the art of "speaking bitterness" (訴苦), a technique where individuals would publicly share personal stories of suffering to generate collective anger against perceived oppressors. ⚔️ Women played a crucial role in revolutionary "emotion work," as they were particularly effective at leading public mourning sessions and channeling grief into revolutionary fervor. 📖 The research challenges traditional views of the Chinese Revolution by showing it wasn't just about ideology and force, but also about sophisticated psychological techniques that transformed individual emotions into mass political action.