The Literary Empowerment of Chinese Women

Following the high-profile detention of activists in China last year that prompted international condemnation, the state of feminism and gender equality in the reclusive country has come into the national and international spotlight. Though ambivalent about the label “feminist,” women have taken up issues such as pay equity, domestic violence, and family care while confronting traditionalist conceptions of women’s role in Chinese society. The New York Times features one front in the push for gender equality: bookstores, where Chinese women of diverse backgrounds congregate to connect with historical, philosophical, spiritual, and self-help texts under a government that keeps a tight grip on the country’s publishing industry.

Read more:
“Chinese Feminism’s Long March Takes Two Paths at Bookstores” (The New York Times)

Additional reading:
“Chinese Activists Probe Colleges Over Sexist Job Adverts” (Radio Free Asia)
“Soul-searching in China as bystanders ignore woman being attacked in hotel” (The Guardian)
“Police Remove Bail Conditions on 5 Chinese Feminists Detained Last Year” (The New York Times)

(Image Credit: Gilles Sabrie/The New York Times)