In search of the essential woman in national development: China's first TV drama series on women, by women, for women release_r6lmbrbewfdxthjfz26el6xymy

Abstract

This study analyzes the portrayal of the image of women presented in the first television drama serial focusing on women in China that was created by women and for women and was dedicated to the Fourth World Conference on Women. After an introduction, the analysis provides an overview that describes the traditional status of women, the changes in this status called for by the Communist Party, and the image of women in the literature and film. The fundamental questions for analysis are: 1) What do the women most active in society understand about themselves? 2) What is their relationship with men? 3) Is male dominance really over or has it adopted new, subtler forms? The study then analyses and discusses the nine serials, listing the central conflicts (career vs. family, divorce vs. social norms, the stepmother-stepdaughter relationship, female virtue, urban vs. rural culture, and expectations for females) and the occupational and familial roles of the heroines. It is concluded that the entire series presents women as asking important questions about themselves and their relationship with men and gaining important insights. The women do not embody the political ideology of "funu" (female subject in Maoist state discourse) or accept a mere definition of "nuren" (female human being) but struggle to become "nuxing" or "essential woman" and assert female independence without overtly rebelling against men.
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