communist bubble - meaning?

[Kamila M]

Hi

Here is the whole sentence. What do the expressions in bold mean? Could anyone paraphrase it?

Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Chinese literature developed in isolation, with its own traditions and narratives. Living in a communist bubble, writers had to toe the party line, embracing socialist realism and revolutionary romanticism.

 

[BobK]

communist bubble - lack of contact with the outside world. For example, a Times editorial last week suggested that the best overall good would accrue if North Korea won the World Cup final, as it would force the government to relax the restrictions on live TV coverage of that event!

toe the party line - the 'party line' is the official position. In this case, it is the Party line. When people 'toe the line' they do as they're told. The expression in bold combines these two idioms - 'the party line' and 'toe the line'.

b

 

[Kamila M]

Thanks a lot