Love Must Not Be Forgotten

In common practice, the ability to fit in with cultural standards and traditions is significant to one’s wellbeing and their potential to succeed in life. This belief is put into straight opposition in Zhang Jie’s “Love Must Not Be Forgotten” where despite having ideologies of a perfect socialist society placed upon them by the government of the People’s Republic of China, Shanshan and her mother are able to renounce such standards yet succeed in life. Through the portrayal of sacrificial love, admiration for education and significance of female autonomy, Jie emphasizes the rebellious attitude characterized by many females during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and its benefits in advancing the Chinese society. Through the eyes of a socialist government, the idea of love is merely a distraction from work that can be put towards bettering the country’s economy, while marriage is viewed as a method of repopulating and further continuing a dominant race of a country. Essentially, it is “a form of barter, or a business transaction in which love and marriage can be separated” (Jie 133). Despite this being the standard in the demoralizing Chinese culture, 1 “by insisting on love, [Shanshan] strongly rejects [this ideology]” (Li).
This is seen clearly in Zhang Jie’s “Love Must Not Be Forgotten” in which the characters of Shanshan and her mother see the advantages of not fitting in with cultural standards through their portrayal of sacrificial love, their admiration for education and intelligence, and their show of significance of female autonomy and individualism. By taking actions generally not accepted by their society, they are able to advance their life for the better, generating many benefits for themselves, and influencing the advancement of the Chinese