Bodies in China : Philosophy, Aesthetics, Gender, and Politics

This book seeks to engage Chinese philosophy to reframe existing Western scholarship in the fields of gender, body, and aesthetics. The assembled essays cover traditional and current global issues related to Chinese female bodies by addressing the following questions: Does Confucianism rule out the capacity of women as moral subjects, and hence, as aesthetic subjects? Do forms of Chinese philosophy in some ways contribute or correspond to the patriarchal Confucian culture? In what ways can Chinese philosophy provide alternative perspectives sought by Western feminist scholars? Professor Man uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore feminist philosophy through the issues of the body, aesthetical representation and gender politics, which are simultaneously historical and contextual. The first section of the book, “Body Discourses in Chinese Philosophy,” brings in theoretical and philosophical discussions of Western traditions such as those of Plato, Descartes, and Kant, to examine their views on body and mind and how the Chinese philosophical ideas offered by Confucians and Daoists provide alternative body ontologies for critical feminist practices. The second section, “Chinese Bodies, Aesthetics and Art,” reviews female aesthetical representations in classical traditional Chinese works ranging from The Books of Songs, women’s embroidery, sexuality and suggested ways of kissing, and the contemporary body art represented by the controversial body artist He Chengyao. These chapters demonstrate the intertwining relationship among body, sexuality, aesthetics and the ascribed gendered roles in social environments. The third section, “Chinese Bodies and Gender Matters,” aims to unfold the changing perceptions of femininity from imperial China to contemporary China. Case studies touch on female body ideals in the literary fantasies in late Ming, in the iron girls in Communist China, and in the Olympics Hoopla at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This section also discusses Hong Kong women’s fashion in the 1960s and how their bodies were shaped by colonial politics. Finally, the subject of sex and emotion in the development of ethical discourse of Chinese female sex workers from late Qing to contemporary society is discussed alongside the impact of the global economy on female beauty today. Overall, this book discusses new conceptual models that feminist scholars are using to displace dualism and emancipate notions of the body from Cartesian mechanistic models and metaphors. The different chapters review traditional and contemporary alternatives to understanding female bodies in Chinese society. Eva Man is professor of humanities and creative writing at Hong Kong Baptist University. She publishes widely in comparative aesthetics, feminist philosophy, cultural studies, art, and cultural criticism.

"This is a highly interdisciplinary work that deals with the issues from philosophical, historical, literary, cinematic, and post-colonial perspectives. Bodies in China explores a wide range of subjects seldom studied in comparative philosophy and Chinese feminist thought. First, it takes female bodies in Chinese context as the foci to discuss a different conceptual model for replacing a Cartesian dualistic model; secondly, it offers a variety of interesting materials, sources, and cases studies as cross-references to build up the ground for a further study of traditional value and contemporary practice; and thirdly, it has engaged Chinese philosophy as a critical intervention to reframe existing scholarship in different gender issues and aesthetics." ROBIN R. WANG, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY, USABodies in China uses Chinese philosophy to reframe Western scholarship on gender, body, and aesthetics. Does Confucianism rule out the capacity of women as moral subjects and hence as aesthetic subjects? Do forms of Chinese philosophy contribute or correspond to patriarchal Confucian culture? Can Chinese philosophy provide alternative perspectives for Western feminist scholars? The first section considers theoretical and philosophical discussions of Western traditions and how the ideas offered by Confucians and Daoists can provide alternative body ontologies for critical feminist practices. The second section reviews female aesthetical representations ranging from The Book of Songs to the work of the controversial body artist He Chengyao. The third section traces changing perceptions of femininity from imperial to its current cosmopolitan era using a range of case studies including Ming dynasty literature, Hong Kong women's fashion in the 1960s, and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Overall, this book discusses new conceptual models that feminist scholars are using to displace dualism and emancipate notions of the body from Cartesian models and metaphors.

Annotation This book seeks to engage Chinese philosophy to reframe existing Western scholarship in the fields of gender, body, and aesthetics. The assembled essays cover traditional and current global issues related to Chinese female bodies by addressing the following questions: Does Confucianism rule out the capacity of women as moral subjects, and hence, as aesthetic subjects? Do forms of Chinese philosophy in some ways contribute or correspond to the patriarchal Confucian culture? In what ways can Chinese philosophy provide alternative perspectives sought by Western feminist scholars?The first section brings in theoretical and philosophical discussions of Western traditions such as those of Plato, Descartes, and Kant to examine their views on body and mind and how the Chinese philosophical ideas offered by Confucians and Daoists provide alternative body ontologies for critical feminist practices. The second section reviews female aesthetical representations in classical traditional Chinese works ranging from The Books of Songs, women's embroidery, sexuality and suggested ways of kissing, and the contemporary body art represented by the controversial body artist He Chengyao. The third section aims to unfold the changing perceptions of femininity from imperial China to contemporary China. Case studies touch on female body ideals in the literary fantasies in late Ming, the iron girls in Communist China, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This section also discusses Hong Kong women's fashion in the 1960s and how bodies were shaped by colonial politics. Finally, the subject of sex and emotion in the development of ethical discourse of Chinese female sex workers from late Qing to contemporary society is discussed alongside the impact of the global economy on female beauty today. It advances new conceptual models that feminist scholars are using to displace dualism and emancipate notions of the body from Cartesian mechanistic models and metaphors "In 1915, fourteen years before Berlin Alexanderplatz, Alfred Doblin published his first novel, an amazing, extensively researched Chinese historical extravaganza: The Three Leaps of Wang Lun. Even more remarkably, given its subject matter, the book was written in expressionist style and is now considered the first modern German novel, as well as the first Western novel to depict a China untouched by the West. Based on actual accounts of a doomed rebellion during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the late eighteenth century, the novel tells the story of Wang Lun, a historical martial arts master and charismatic leader of the White Lotus sect, who leads a futile revolt of the "Truly Powerless." Densely packed cities and Tibetan wastes, political intrigue and religious yearning, imperial court life and the fate of wandering outcasts are depicted in a language of enormous vigor and matchless imagination, unfolding the theme of timidity against force and a mystical sense of the world against the realities of power"-- Provided by publisher "China 1760-1774 Novel translated from the German"-- Provided by publisher