Playful Killing: Animals and Socialist Childhood in 1950s People's Republic of China

Abstract: This article rethinks the tension between playful innocence and combative revolutionariness in shaping socialist childhood in 1950s China. While prior studies of Maoist children stress ideological molding, child play remains understudied. Focusing on the Four Pests Campaign, this article shows how play operated as state mobilization, revolutionary training, and children's affective response. In the sparrow massacre that unfolded as an "immersive war (game)" blending play and combat, vitality affects encountered state-imposed ideological binaries. Drawing on archival and literary sources, the article argues that these entwined experiences reflected conflicting ideals and shaped socialist childhood's formation.