China’s Patriotic Exposé: Ye Shengtao’s Fairytale, Daocao ren [Scarecrow]

In the early twentieth century, patriotism in China became closely linked to the exposure of social ills in literary production. This paper examines the first major work of modern Chinese children’s literature, Ye Shengtao’s Daocao ren [Scarecrow] (1923). It argues that the emergence of modern Chinese children’s literature represents the rise of modern nationalism and the critique of the native cultural heritage. It concludes that stories like Scarecrow were created by Chinese intellectuals as part of their efforts to rejuvenate the nation.