A Cultural History of the Chinese Character "Ta, (She)": Invention and Adoption of a New Feminine Pronoun

This book offers a thorough examination of the history of a Chinese female pronoun – the Chinese character "Ta (她, She)" and demonstrates how the invention and identification of this new word is inextricably intertwined with matters of sociocultural politics.

The Chinese character Ta for the third-person feminine singular pronoun was introduced in the late 1910s when the voices of women’s liberation rang out in China. The invention and dissemination of this word not only reflected an ideological gendering of the Chinese script but also provoked heated academic and popular debate well into the 1930s. Thus, the history of Ta provides a prism through which to explore modern Chinese history. The author provides an ambitious and informed examination of how Ta was invented and promoted in relation to the gender equality movement, the politics of neologism, and other domestic elements and international catalysts.

This book is the first major work to survey Ta’s creation. It draws on diverse sources, including interviews with eight historians who experienced the popularisation of Ta as youths in the 1930s and 40s. This book will be an essential read for students and scholars of East Asian Studies, Chinese Cultural History, and those who are interested in the history of China.

Huang Xingtao is Executive Director of the Institute of Qing History of Renmin University and Dean of the Department of History at Renmin University, China. He was a visiting scholar at Harvard-Yenching Institute and Kobe University in Japan. His research interests include the history of the Qing Dynasty and the history of China in modern and contemporary times. His research focuses on the history of Chinese social culture, ideology, and the relations between China and western countries. Professor Huang was awarded the Excellent Achievements Prize for Human and Social Sciences Research in National Normal High Education Institutions.