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Cosmetic surgery in post-Mao China: state power, market discourse, and the remaking of the body. / 後毛時代中國的整形美容手術: 國家權力、市場話語與身體的重塑 / CUHK electronic theses & dissertations collection / Hou Mao shi dai Zhongguo de zheng xing mei rong shou shu: guo jia quan li, shi chang hua yu yu shen ti de chong su

In the Maoist era, the quest for beauty was regarded as decadent Western bourgeois culture. However, more and more Chinese women have been shopping for a youthful and beautiful appearance by undergoing cosmetic surgery in recent decades. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Beijing, China, in 2006--2007, this study examines the phenomenon of the rapidly growing popularity of cosmetic surgery among Chinese women and considers the relationships between the remaking of female body image through cosmetic surgery, the reconstruction of self identity, and the reconfiguration of state power and market forces with the expansion of global consumerism in post-Mao China. The thesis suggests that the alteration of female body features through cosmetic surgery reflects in microcosm the transition of China from a Maoist socialist regime to a post-Maoist consumer society within a few decades, following its own "Chinese characteristics." Therefore, Chinese women's involvement in cosmetic surgery must be understood within the broader historical and socio-political context of China, and also must be seen both as the empowerment of Chinese women and also their ongoing subjugation to men, markets, and the state. / Wen, Hua. / Adviser: Gordon Matthews. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 392-421). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract and glossary also in Chinese.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:cuhk.edu.hk/oai:cuhk-dr:cuhk_344506
Date January 2010
ContributorsWen, Hua, Chinese University of Hong Kong Graduate School. Division of Anthropology.
Source SetsThe Chinese University of Hong Kong
LanguageEnglish, Chinese, Chinese
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText, theses
Formatelectronic resource, microform, microfiche, 1 online resource (xiv, 421 leaves : ill.)
CoverageChina, China, China, 20th century, China, China, 20th century
RightsUse of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International” License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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