#chinese women

[nansheonearth]

"Young women from around China have been taking up a viral challenge of imitating "greasy men""

[madeleineengland]

Zhao Lusi for Tencent Night 2023

Stylist: 闵塔鲨

[balkanparamo]

Majestic Liu Wen

[asiansdaily]

[chewingoncoffee]

Xiuxiukong ♡

[a-bluedream-posts]

Chinese Beauty by GenXWolf

[unrealproportions]

[beeautycutiee]

Hot chinese

[writingwithcolor]

I have a story about a girl whose mom sometimes turns into wolves, as a metaphor for depressive episodes. They're a Chinese-American family, and in research I found info about wolves in China symbolizing greed & lust, but I haven't found much other detail. I picked wolves because to me they symbolize aggression & protection, but I don't want to inadvertently code her as a bad person for her mental illness. Do you think this is a harmful symbolism that I should avoid, or could address in story?

Chinese shapeshifter, wolves and symbolism for depression - does it clash for the Chinese symbolism?

Chinese Wolf Shapeshifter

From a Chinese perspective, we have many traditional stories about wolves taking advantage of the benevolence and naivety of others. I’m not aware of any stories with wolves painted as protective figures; but I’m sure that there are some recent manhuas or C-dramas out there that do!

As for the symbolism for depression- it’ll come down to how you’re going about executing this concept. I personally like the idea of characterizing the mother as someone who aims to protect her child the best she can, but that objective being made difficult by struggles outside of her control. It’s a relatable story for many who are living in traditionally Confucianist and/or Chinese households, and one that I’m sure could be depicted respectfully through soliciting feedback from folks with depression as you write. 

I personally do not take any issue with this “clash” between traditional Chinese views on wolves and the story you’re trying to write. Of course, everyone won’t share this same perspective. 

~ Mod Emme

I mainly concur with Emme; but I do want to note that there are cdramas where animals that have been coded as “bad” in Chinese culture are depicted as protagonists, like Eternal Love, which has a nine-tailed fox as a heroine (fox spirits are usually considered evil), or the Legend of White Snake, which originally was meant to be a horror story, but is now known more as a romance between a snake spirit and a human.

There was even a cdrama I saw where humans and demons were allies, and the demons weren’t necessarily coded as bad–the main one, in fact, had very heroic, noble qualities.

–mod Jess

Mental Health and Chinese Families

With regards to depicting mental health in Chinese-American families, you could definitely avoid harmful representation with the proper research and solicited feedback. Despite Chinese-Americans being underrepresented in mental health research, here are a handful of studies I’ve found which you may be able to reference:

Help-Seeking Behaviors among Chinese Americans with Depressive Symptoms (2012)

Depressive Symptoms Among Older Chinese Americans: Examining the Role of Acculturation and Family Dynamics (2016)

Some other things to take into consideration may be generational depression - my maternal family is Hoa Vietnamese (of Hokkien descent) and mental health issues (anxiety and depression) run in our family. Generational trauma related to humanitarian conflicts (the Chinese Civil War, the Great Leap Forward, the White Terror for Chinese-Taiwanese people, impoverishment following migration) is prevalent, too.

Feedback from Chinese-American readers is appreciated, especially those with depression.

~ Mod Emme

[nickysfacts]

All bow to Shi Yang, the greatest scourge to ever hit the seven seas!

🇨🇳🏴‍☠️

[madeleineengland]

Zhang Yuxi in ancient costume for a Guerlain event

[balkanparamo]

Liu Wen

[asiansdaily]

Jelly 小果冻儿

[not-your-asian-fantasy]

The kingdom of women: the society where men are never the boss

It’s a place where women rule, marriage doesn’t exist and everything follows the maternal bloodline. But is it as good for women as it sounds – and how long can it last?

This progressive, feminist world – or anachronistic matriarchy, as skewed as any patriarchal society, depending on your viewpoint – exists in a lush valley in Yunnan, south-west China, in the far eastern foothills of the Himalayas. An ancient tribal community of Tibetan Buddhists called the Mosuo, they live in a surprisingly modern way: women are treated as equal, if not superior, to men; both have as many, or as few, sexual partners as they like, free from judgment; and extended families bring up the children and care for the elderly. But is it as utopian as it seems? And how much longer can it survive?

[pinktreasure123]

Classical dolls

[flymeandtiememaam2]

Wandering Hands

“Not too tight is it, Mr Groper? Li-mei asked asked the gweilo she and her colleague Hui-fen had tied up after he had been repeatedly warned by the female cabin crew to stop pinching their bottoms and feeling their nyloned legs as they walked up the aisle carrying out their duties. Gerry, his hands securely tied behind his back with a combination of duct tape and ladies’ tights, did not even look up at the sarcastically smiling stewardess watching over him, but continued to stare sullenly at his own feet, similarly bound, but with seat belt straps. “Can’t you witches take a little joshing?” he complained bitterly. “I’m afraid not, sir,” replied Li-mei, “zero tolerance of wandering hands also means zero female flight attendant sense of humour where groping is concerned!”

Sources: retrorope and the Daily Mail