A couple of posts yesterday, at Bingfang and at The Shanghaiist, raise the question of why there is so much satire (or "spoofing" – e gao in Mandarin, which I believe is a neologism; it’s not in my dictionary! ESWN has some background) in contemporary China.  Each site mentioned above has a humorous example.

    Bingfang suggests the following reasons for the rise of satire in recent years:

1) like any young generation of the world, spoof is a good way to have fun
2) in a rapidly changing society, chinese younth confront more frustrations than their peers in other parts of the world
3) media is controled here, so young people use satire and cynicism to criticise "sensitive issues"

 Shanghaiist adds a fourth:

4) there are lot of films that suck and deserve to be made fun of.

   All of these make sense as causes, but, I tend to gravitate toward Bingfang’s point out a "rapidly changing society."  Modernization does that: the accelerated pace of economic and social change brings with it cultural turmoil and psychological insecurity.  And postmodernization (which is also sweeping urban China) simply adds to the tension by making it harder to construct overarching narratives that might supply a source of transcendent meaning.  I might disagree with Bingfang that Chinese youth "confront more frustrations" than people elsewhere. Although it may be true that the turbulence of modernization/postmodernization is particularly acute in China these days, people in the most globalized areas of the world economy (and that includes the global cultural economy) all confront the destabilizing effects of "space-time compression" and they all find solace in spoofing.

    But I would add something more.  While personal – one could even say ontological – insecurity may be more acute under conditions of globalized modernity/postmodernity, it is to be found in the ancient world as well.  As is e gao, or satire.  Indeed, Chuang Tzu, who also lived in a turbulent time – the Warring States period, when old verities were coming under increasing challenge – was a great spoofer.  I especially love the passages in which he puts Taoist notions in the mouth of Confucius, particularly when discussing Ritual and Duty.  Here’s one example (taken from the AC Graham translation):

"I make progress," said Yen Hui.
"Where?" said Confucius.
"I have forgotten about rites and music."
"Satisfactory.  But you still have far to go." [said Confucius].

Another day he saw Confucius again.

"I make progress."
"Where?"
"I have forgotten about Goodwill and Duty."
"Satisfactory.  But you still have far to go." [said Confucius.]

Another day he say Confucius again.

"I make progress."
"Where?"
"I just sit and forget."
Confucius was taken aback. "What do you mean, just sit and forget?"
"I let organs and members drop away, dismiss eyesight and hearing, part from the body and expel knowledge, and go along with the universal thoroughfare.  This is what I mean by ‘just sit and forget’" [said Yen Hui.]
"If you go along with it, you have no preferences; if you let yourself transform, you have no norms.  Has it really turned out that you are the better of us?  Oblige me by accepting me as your disciple." [said Confucius.]

 Confucius telling us to just forget about rites and music, goodwill and Duty?  Now that is an e gao!