The Theme of “Progress” in Australian and Chinese Cultures

This paper discusses the theme of “progress” in Australian and Chinese cultures in the period of 1920s and 1930s. During this period, both cultures had an outpouring of patriotic and sentimental feelings. In this social context, both cultures constructed a theme of “progress” – the transformation of natural environment with human power, or the active participation in social life, for the purpose of “civilization”, a concept closely connected with the idea of social engagement, transformation and modernization. In Australia, this ideology was a continuation of the old idea of transforming “untamed” nature and bringing material progress through human labour; in China, it was a new theme which betrayed the old “reclusive” spirit. In Australia, it is represented most clearly in film, in China, it is represented in both film and painting.