It has long been discussed whether China has its own feminism and whether feminism has authentic roots in the Chinese context. In this talk, Quan Hong will adopt a Marxian historical analysis of China's early encounters with first-wave feminism in the late 19th century and early 20th century to explain the divergence between western feminism and ideas of women's liberation under socialism.

Quan Hong is a post-doctoral research fellow of politics and Program Manager of the International Graduate Program in Politics at East China Normal University. Her current research concerns how to reinterpret the empowerment movement in China over time from the perspective of state theory, so as to address the tension and possible co-existence between 'free woman' and 'free state'.