ABSTRACT
While there is a body of research that examines girls’ experiences of physical activity in Western contexts, it focuses minimally on understanding how non-Western theory could contribute to the field. Paradigms that assume and perpetuate binary notions regarding cultural beliefs and practices, for instance, ‘Asian’ versus ‘Western’ in association with ‘normal’ versus ‘problematic’ lifestyles where physical activity is concerned, accentuate the effect of contemporary Western theory on the field. Physical activity research on Chinese girls in Western contexts often adopts Western theoretical concepts in a problematic manner, paying little attention to the origins of such ideas and how they are appropriated in Chinese contexts and focusing even less on understanding Chinese ideas and practices. The chapter seeks to contribute to and enable the circulation of Chinese concepts as theoretical tools in current physical activity research on Chinese girls. Second, it offers insights into the meanings and challenges associated with the co-production of Chinese and Western knowledge in efforts to understand Chinese girls’ physical activity. The chapter concludes by highlighting the opportunities and challenges in a complex field, suggesting a movement towards a new research imagination regarding Chinese girls’ physical activity.
