East China Normal University, School of Design, Associate Professor

Revisiting the design history of New China from a female perspective reveals that women were not only subjects of representation, but also active participants in the production, display, and construction of “beauty.” This “beauty” was embodied not only in modern visual expression in propaganda imagery, but also in light-industry production, women’s lifestyle products, consumer culture, and the shaping of everyday life. By tracing changes in female images, aesthetics, and social roles across different periods, this talk highlights the distinctive role women played in the development of design in New China.

Key Points:

1. Women were important symbols in the visual narrative of modernity in New China.

2. Women participated in the making and display of “beauty.”

3. Women gradually became aesthetic subjects and builders of everyday life.