In Search of Red Buddha

Red Buddha describes the learning path of one sojourner in a closed city (labeled as a «natural prison») in the interior of the People's Republic of China in the period from 1985 to 1988. As an exchange professor and «foreign expert,» Dr. Street was posted to live and work in an educational work unit in Shanxi Province. This study details the lives of Chinese university students, of Cultural Revolution «intellectuals in exile», and the culture shock and adaptation process of western foreigners (weiguoren). The author also provides historical context to ground the reader. Analysis of the components described above, i.e., the disenchantment of the Chinese students and «intellectuals,» the perceived need for «westernization» of the culture, and the ongoing political and economic chaos signals an uneasy decade. What are the options for post-Maoist China? Where are the leaders?