Construction of the “new orientation” of contemporary literature is one of the most significant phenomena in the 20thcentury history of Chinese literature. Hand in hand with the shift of literary emphasis in the 1950’s, the new orientation helped shape a new pattern of “contemporary literature” different both from “modern literature” in essence, and under its extensive influence in later historical practice, established traditions of contemporary literature, which are not only indiscriminative but also unforgettable to present people. In this case, in order to reveal the internal conversion of literary trends and the course of deep evolution of literary history, efforts should be made to investigate the traces of development of Chinese contemporary literature originated from “literature in the liberated areas”, closely examine its traditions and carefully inspect the mood of mainstream writers and the revolutionary impressions brought by the new forms of literature to people’s everyday life, ethnics and morals, aesthetic taste, emotional style and ideological orientation.

Chinese contemporary literature; new orientation of literature; literary tradition; cultural structure