ABSTRACT
More than a century after the publication of China’s earliest feminist science fiction novel, female author Chi Hui continues the history of female utopian societies in Chinese SF. This chapter examines the critical engagement with traditional gender norms such as the Confucian ideal of the “good wife and mother” (xianqi liangmu 贤妻良母) in contemporary Chinese science fiction. By close reading Chi Hui’s “Nest of Insects” (Chongchao 虫巢, 2008), the analysis focuses on the literary representation of women’s issues in China. This chapter applies feminist and gender-oriented narratology methods to demonstrate that the prevailing misogynist ways of thinking in Chinese society can be explored through SF literature. The author argues that Chi Hui’s story highlights the discriminatory power of conservative gender norms and their instrumentalization as a means of policing female subjectivities, while at the same time reinforcing Confucian values. This chapter further suggests that Chinese female SF writers use figurative language rather than openly criticizing women’s disadvantaged position in Chinese society.
