Literature Selection in a Historical Dilemma

As a main proponent and significant practitioner of propagating “Native Place Literature” in Manchukuo, Shan Ding’s literary proposal and practices profoundly influenced Chinese literature's appearance and course of development during the period. This chapter elaborates upon the formative process of “native place literature” and demonstrates the awakening of cultural identity amongst writers such as Shan Ding, uniquely marked by their historical time period and place. It additionally reveals writers’ psychological motivations when implementing historical motives via literature. The Green Valley is a representative novel by Shan Ding that reflects interventions by Japanese colonial culture's domination over the creative environment, writers’ mentalities, and the publishing business under foreign occupation.