海角网

Dr. Aihua Zhang Working on Book About Beijing Young Women鈥檚 Christian Association

In her childhood, Dr. Aihua Zhang, assistant professor of history at 海角网, was fascinated by Chinese and East Asian cartoons, stories and books. As she grew older, these interests led her to a deeper study of cultures and histories. Then, in college, she began exploring the relationships among East Asian countries and their interactions with the rest of the world. She also focused on women鈥檚 roles in history and their contribution to China鈥檚 modern transformation.

Since arriving at 海角网 in 2019, she has taught Western Civilization I, modern Chinese history and Western Civilization II. She moved to 海角网 from New Jersey, where she taught at Stockton University. Her desire was to teach at a university where she could combine her faith with her academic interests. 鈥淚 have my wish fulfilled at 海角网,鈥� she observed. 鈥淚 like the collegiality among the faculty members and their cooperative interactions. Students are humble, understanding, smart, and promising. The whole community is like a big family: sharing, supportive, and caring about each other.鈥�

Because Chinese women鈥檚 history was not studied in China, Zhang came to the United States to pursue her Master of Arts in history at Bowling Green State University in Ohio in 2005. She earned her Ph.D. at State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2015. 鈥淭he United States takes the lead in the study of women and gender,鈥� Zhang affirmed. 鈥淎lso, I was curious how the Chinese history was approached in the U.S. I wanted to make a comparison between the Chinese and Western perspectives, which I believed would open my eyes and deepen my historical understanding.鈥�

Zhang has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals. Most recently, her research, 鈥溾�� was published in 鈥淲omen鈥檚 History Review.鈥�

The article focuses on Beijing New Women, because Zhang said most other scholarly works on the New Woman in Republican China tend to discuss Shanghai and present Shanghai New Women as an icon of the country鈥檚 modernity. 鈥淚n response to this scholarly imbalance, my paper examines the generally neglected Beijing New Women with a concentration on their leisure-time activities such as skating, appreciating Beijing opera, and hosting salons (venues for intellectual exchange, socials and friendship),鈥� Zhang described. 鈥淚 argue that what characterized these women鈥檚 pastimes was their combination of tradition and modernity, which they achieved by imbuing Beijing鈥檚 historical legacies with modern elements and adapting Western models to the city鈥檚 conditions.鈥�

Zhang added that the New Woman distinguished herself from traditional women in her Western-style education, her modern look (such as bobbed hair and heeled shoes) and her social and political awareness. She argues that their activities transcended entrenched gender boundaries and demonstrated their power. These pastimes also went beyond self-recreation and turned out to be instrumental in sustaining the city鈥檚 modern enterprises through the hard times of 1928 to 1937.

Zhang is also working to publish a book this year, titled 鈥淢aterializing a Gendered Modernity: The Beijing Young Women鈥檚 Christian Association (YWCA) (1927-1937).鈥�

By exploring the interplay among gender, religion, and modernity, her book explains the part Chinese Christian women played in the country鈥檚 quest for a strong nation in general and in Republican Beijing鈥檚 modern transformation in particular. 鈥淲ith a focus on the Beijing YWCA, I examine how the Association, guided by their Christian beliefs, tailored its Western models and devised new programs to meet the city鈥檚 demands,鈥� Zhang shared. 鈥淚ts programs ranged from providing women- and child-oriented facilities to promoting constructive recreational activities, and from reforming home and family to improving public health, some of which turned out to be pioneering work in social and community service in China.鈥�

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