Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies

Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies stories were disparaged by progressive writers of the May Fourth school for being essentially escapist and showing no social responsibility.

[3] Following the 1911 Revolution, Mandarin Duck and Butterfly fiction, relying on this systematized press and magazine environment, became popular by catering to the cultural consumption needs of urban citizens.

The creators of Mandarin Duck and Butterfly fiction thus became specialized, professional writers who depended on periodicals, media systems, and manuscript fees for their livelihood.

Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies fiction was widely consumed by urban readers and became especially prominent in Shanghai, which had a booming publishing industry during this time.

[7] Despite its initial popularity, Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies literature was largely marginalized in later literary histories, but it has since attracted renewed academic interest for its role in reflecting the cultural anxieties and desires of early 20th-century urban Chinese society.