Imagining the “Urban Woman”

Abstract

This paper begins by tracing the trajectory of urban narratives in modern and contemporary Chinese literature, exploring their evolution and thematic concerns. In this context, “city” and “woman” have often been central narrative themes for female writers, who attempt to establish an emotional connection between the two. The study focuses on Chi Li's novel Her City, with particular emphasis on the emotional narratives of urban women. It analyzes the isomorphic relationship between the history of women’s emotions and urban history, demonstrating how the presence of women shapes the cityscape and reflects their inner subjectivity. In the novel, as China's reform and opening-up policies and modernization progress, women’s commercial abilities and fashion choices are vividly portrayed. Simultaneously, the opportunities and material abundance brought about by urban development provide urban women with a platform to express themselves and realize their self-worth. This freedom of choice becomes a crucial part of their identity construction. Moreover, sisterhood, as a key theme in the novel, represents not only a mutually supportive emotional bond among women but also an expression of moral obligation and social responsibility. Through the depiction of conflicts and disputes between Mijie and Fengchun, Chi Li challenges the idealized concept of “unconditional” mutual love promoted by the feminist movement, emphasizing the importance and complexity of authentic emotional experience.