In the field of pre-modern Chinese literature, progress usually referred to the countercurrent of the revival of the ancient styles or practice and it often came with the claim that each era should have a literature with its own new spirit. The concept of progress in modern literature, however, was developed fundamentally with Darwin's evolutionism, which in literary studies displayed a temporal linear development. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the idea of progress in literature implies the literature which serves the masses and the revolution, with a proletariat ideology and a realistic approach. Progress, therefore, refers mainly to the ideological aspect while the temporal linearity of progress becomes a horizontal advancement of ideas. The conflict between the richness of literature and the mono-dimension of progress, together with the direct conversion of political discursive power within the institution of literature, leaves little space for the freedom of literary creation and binds the variety and richness of literature in the Seventeen-Year Period (1949-1966). While the idea of progress in this period has its necessity, it leaves much for academic reflection.