Breaking the Chains : Gender, Context and the Politics of Writing in Modern China

A rigorous exploration of literature as a tool for social change, revealing how gender and national identity intertwine in China’s modern development.

How has literature shaped gender politics in modern China? How has the concept of “woman” evolved within the shifting sociopolitical landscape? Old Chains and New delves into these questions by examining the dynamic interplay between literature, gender, and historical change. Drawing from literary studies, history, and sociology, this book reveals how women’s writing has not only reflected but also actively shaped cultural and national transformations.

From the late Qing era, when the “woman question” emerged as part of China’s response to imperialist pressures, to the ongoing evolution of feminist literary scholarship, this study argues that gender and literature are deeply interwoven. Women’s liberation in modern China was never solely about gender equality—it became a driving force for broader social change and national identity formation. Engaging with the complexities of women’s literature through a cultural-political lens, this book challenges static definitions and calls for a reevaluation of women’s literature not just as a literary category but as a key component in shaping China’s modern intellectual and cultural history.

By adopting the framework of “China as method,” Old Chains and New reimagines the role of literature in ideological and cultural shifts. It highlights women’s writing as a unique form of aesthetic politics—one with the power to intervene in and transform reality.

Dong Limin is a professor and dean of the College of Humanities at Shanghai Normal University. She has authored three monographs, co-authored five books, edited three volumes and has made significant contributions to the study of gender and literature in modern China. 

Matthew A. Hale is an independent translator and researcher based in Nashville. His translations include The Path to Sun Village by Wu Chongqing, Two-Dimensional People by Tan Tongxue, and a chapter of The Rise of Modern Chinese Thought by Wang Hui.