New Feminism in China ― Young Middle-class Chinese Women in Shanghai

This book is based on rich empirical data and findings concerning the lives, perceptions and ambitions of young middle-class female graduates, thus providing essential insights into the lives and viewpoints of a previously unresearched group in China from a feminist scholarly perspective. The study shows how the lives of young women and debates over youthful femininity lie at the very heart of modern Chinese history and society. With a central focus on women's issues, the book's ultimate goal is to enable Western readers to better understand the changing ideologies and the overall social domain of China under the leadership of President Xi. The empirical data presented includes interviews and group discussions, as well as illustrations, tables and images collected during a prolonged period of fieldwork. The insights shared here will facilitate cross-cultural communication with both Western feminist academics and readers who are sensitive to different cultures.

The author of the book was born as a single-child in a middle-class family in Mainland China. After obtaining her first degree in English Language and Literature, she went to Edinburgh University in the UK for postgraduate education. Later, she went to the University of Cambridge for a doctoral degree in the Sociology of Education and her thesis was about the self-awareness and identity-construction of young Chinese women in a key university in Shanghai. During her academic adventure abroad, the author worked very hard and therefore gained various awards and honors from both Chinese government and British funding bodies. She was given credit to her dynamics and diligence by colleagues who had worked with her. This book is based on her doctoral thesis and re-written after she returns to China.