The Representation of China in <i>Nyoning-geijutsu</i>: An Analysis of the Records of Women Who Crossed from Japan into China

YANG, Jiajia

doi:2019.8.1.129

The Journal of Japanese Language Literature Studies > Volume 8(1); 2019 > Article

Article

Border Crossings: The Journal of Japanese-Language Literature Studies 2019;8(1): 129-149.
doi: https://doi.org/10.22628/bcjjl.2019.8.1.129

The Representation of China in Nyoning-geijutsu: An Analysis of the Records of Women Who Crossed from Japan into China

Jiajia YANG

名古屋大学大学院博士後期課程

女人芸術における中国表象

Correspondence Jiajia YANG ,Email: yangjiajia2@yeah.net

Published online: 30 June 2019.

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses women intellectuals’ perception of China before and after 1930, through an analysis of the magazine Nyonin-geijutsu(July, 1928-June, 1932). By analyzing through a gender and postcolonial lens, the records of women who crossed from Japan to China and published their articles in Nyonin-geijutsu, this study clarifies how these writers represented China and how they perceived China at that time. The writers revealed three aspects of China: dynamism, invisible colonialism, and the ideal female image. Regarding the perspective of dynamic China, these women were not restricted by imperialist ideology; rather, they were impressed by a dynamic China and were critical of Japanese imperialism. Regarding the perspective of invisible colonialism, the women enjoyed the prosperity of capitalism, satisfied their curiosity and dreamt of a romantic and modern world in particular areas controlled by each empire. It is also clear that the contributors to Nyonin-geijutsu were stimulated by the liberating figure of their Chinese female contemporaries rather than looking down on Chinese women, and they reflected on their own selves and re-recognized themselves by learning from Chinese women. This study reveals a gap in the history of modern cultural development in East Asia. In discussions on such development, this route in the cultural exchanges between Japan and China should not be overlooked.

Keywords: Representation of China, Nyonin-geijutsu, Ｗomen Intellectual, Border Crossing, Perception of China

キ―ワ―ド: 中国表象, 女人芸術, 女性知識人, 越境, 中国認識