This book assembles translations of the work of leading critical socialist feminist Song Shaopeng, presenting a concise narrative which theorizes China's political and social development through a gendered lens. Providing insightful editor introductions, the book explores poignant themes from the late imperial to the contemporary eras to examine the evolution of Chinese socialist feminism. This includes analysis of the relationship between the party-state and the women's movement, the gains and losses of collectivism for women's liberation, and the inadequacy of contemporary gender studies in China at addressing the ongoing influence of political economy on the lives of women in China. Offering a succinct exploration of the historical and theoretical context of Song Shaopeng's writings, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Chinese history and politics, as well as those of Chinese feminism and intellectual history.

Examining Chinese domestic as well as international circumstances surrounding the emergence of an independent women's movement in Beijing in the 1990s, this book seeks to explain how such a movement could have arisen after the repression of student activists in Tiananmen Square in 1989. It also places this emergence in the context of theories of social movements, civil society and globalization.

This book examines the domestic as well as international circumstances surrounding the emergence of an independent women's movement in Beijing in the nineties and asks how such movements can emerge in non-democratic contexts, particularly under a regime capable of events at Tianamen Square.