The Implications of Science and Technology for Chinese Women: a Cultural Study of the Chinese Era of Reforms
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Michigan Technological University Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports 2019 THE IMPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CHINESE WOMEN: A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE CHINESE ERA OF REFORMS Wenjing Liu Michigan Technological University, [email protected] Copyright 2019 Wenjing Liu Recommended Citation Liu, Wenjing, "THE IMPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CHINESE WOMEN: A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE CHINESE ERA OF REFORMS", Open Access Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2019. https://doi.org/10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/966 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etdr Part of the Chinese Studies Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons THE IMPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR CHINESE WOMEN: A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE CHINESE ERA OF REFORMS By Wenjing Liu A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2019 © 2019 Wenjing Liu This dissertation has been approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture. Department of Humanities Dissertation Advisor: Jennifer Daryl Slack Committee Member: Patricia J. Sotirin Committee Member: Ketty Thomas Committee Member: Sarah A. Green Department Chair: Patricia J. Sotirin Table of Contents List of figures ..................................................................................................................... iv List of tables .........................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ vi List of abbreviations ......................................................................................................... vii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ viii Chapter One: Introduction ...................................................................................................1 Chapter Two: Science and Technology in the Era of Reforms .........................................21 Chapter Three: Chinese Women’s Roles in the Era of Reforms .......................................78 Chapter Four: Putting It All Together: The Implications of Science and Technology for Women’s Roles in the Era of Reforms ............................................................................142 Chapter Five: Conclusion ................................................................................................209 References ........................................................................................................................226 Appendix A ......................................................................................................................259 Appendix B ......................................................................................................................262 Appendix C ......................................................................................................................265 Appendix D ......................................................................................................................270 Appendix E Copyright documentation ............................................................................273 iii List of figures Figure 2. 1 Bagua In A Coin ..............................................................................................23 Figure 2. 2 A Collarbone Holds Coins...............................................................................51 Figure 2. 3 Rice Stamp.......................................................................................................56 Figure 2. 4 Pork Stamp ......................................................................................................57 Figure 3. 1 The Image of Tai Ji..........................................................................................94 Figure 3. 2 Screen Capture of Online Articles On Xinhua Net .......................................109 Figure 3. 3 Stamp Of The Year Monkey (2016) ..............................................................118 Figure 3. 4 Stamp Of The Year Pig (2019) ......................................................................118 Figure 3. 5 A Poster of An Iron Girl ................................................................................131 Figure 4. 1 Screen Capture 1 Of The Commercial "Because Love Won't Wait." ...........155 Figure 4. 2 Screen Capture 2 Of The Commercial "Because Love Won't Wait." ...........156 Figure 4. 3 Screen Capture 3 Of The Commercial "Because Love Won't Wait." ...........156 Figure 4. 4 Screen Capture 4 Of The Commercial "Because Love Won't Wait." ...........156 Figure 4. 5 Screen Capture 5 Of The Commerical "Because Love Won't Wait." ...........157 Figure 4. 6 Screen Capture Of The Message From Zhenai Wang. ..................................159 Figure 4. 7 An Advertisement To Promote The Children's Fever Reducer Mei Lin .......190 iv List of tables Table 2. 1 China Agricultural and Economic Data ............................................................58 v Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to many people, who not only have supported and helped me in writing this dissertation, but also in the years that I have pursued a Ph. D. at Michigan Technological University. First, I am very grateful to Dr. Jennifer Daryl Slack who has mentored me to become a better researcher. It is very lucky for me to have her as my advisor. I am also thankful to Dr. Patty Sotirin who supports me and helps me to overcome many difficulties. Thanks also to Dr. Kette Thomas and Dr. Sarah A. Green for your critical feedback and suggestions. I also wish to thank the following people who made contributions to this project. To Emma Lozon, my writing coach, for spending many hours to work with me to edit my dissertation. To Charles Fugate and Aaron Hoover, for your feedback for my writing. I am also thankful to all my friends at Michigan Tech for your support, help, and friendship. Finally, I wish to thank my family, for always having faith in me and accompanying me to face challenges and difficulties. vi List of abbreviations Chinese Communist Party (CCP) People’s Republic of China (PRC) The Reform and Opening-Up Policy (ROUP) Great Firewall of China (GFW) The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) vii Abstract This dissertation addresses the gendered implications of science and technology in the era of reforms. It argues that in this era, which began in 1978 and continues today, science and technology are highly romanticized as nearly omnipotent. This results in its being embedded not only into ordinary Chinese people’s lives, hoping to bring them positive changes, but also into the Chinese government’s political practices, hoping to achieve its political purposes through science and technology. It also points out that in the era of reforms, Chinese women’s lived experiences are full of tensions, struggles, and conflicts, as evidenced by the expectations for them to become virtuous wives, caring mothers, and, at the same time, successful professionals. The veneration of science and technology in Chinese culture and the Chinese government’s strict control over science and technology further complicate Chinese women’s experiences. To illustrate these points, I mainly use the analytical methods “articulation” and “mapping” from cultural studies to explore the impacts of Chinese myth, Confucianism and Daoism, Chinese language, Chinese political practices, and media and popular discourses to explain the status of science and technology and the living situation of Chinese women in the era of reforms. I analyze the cases of the development and use of science and technology: to promote marriage and family, for population control and family design, to promote the discourse of the super mother, and to help women gain independence and fight against sexual violence. I focus on the gendered implications of some specific scientific and technological artifacts, including dating websites, in vitro fertilization (IVF), breast pumps, social media, and many others. viii This dissertation contributes to understanding Chinese women and science and technology in contemporary China. It reveals that although Chinese women’s living situations have improved significantly, many of them are still trapped and subordinated. Science and technology, which are always articulated with other elements, especially the Chinese government’s politics, the traditional patriarchal culture, and many Chinese women’s demands for gender equality, aggravate many women’s suffering while also offering some of them extra job opportunities and access to virtual spaces to engage in social activism. ix Chapter One: Introduction China is undergoing enormous changes in the twenty-first century. Its economic performance is impressive: products made in China circulate around the world, and China’s GDP per capita is skyrocketing. In 2017 China’s merchandise