The Publication and Dissemination Practices of Chinese Anti-spy Fiction from the 1950s to the 1970s

As a highly distinctive and influential type of socialist popular literature from the 1950s to the 1970s,antispy fiction encompass multiple dimensions,including popularity,entertainment,educational value,and political significance.This paper examines the external factors of literature,starting with the close relationship between the literary production of anti-spy fiction and the establishment of the national book publishing system,particularly noting how the specific imagination of the "other" in these novels is closely related to the geographical distribution of China's publishing institutions.Secondly,the "massive scale" of book printing,based on the national population,endowed anti-spy fiction with significant potential for literary practice.Thirdly,literary dissemination methods such as book lending,storytelling,and reading groups expanded the actual audience of these novels far beyond the statistical notion of "readers" implied by print runs.Finally,nearly all important anti-spy fiction from this period were adapted into comic books,and this cross-media practice from text to image further promoted the dissemination and popularization of anti-spy narratives.Through an investigation of these external literary factors,this paper seeks to reveal the significant role of anti-spy fiction in the history of popular literature and publishing.