The narration and popularization of hygienic knowledge is a typical event in the development and maturity of the scientific spirit in modern China. However, when the hygienic narrative on women emerged in the late Qing Dynasty, it was not used in conjunction with Medicine, not even belong to the independent Science category. It was more closely related to housekeeping. Further adjustments of the hygienic narrative were made with the emergence of professional women in the Republic of China. This paper focuses on Women’s World and Women’s Magazine, finding that behind the popularization of hygienic knowledge for women from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, there is the differentiation and shaping of the Chinese and Western knowledge pedigrees. The hygienic narrative not only stipulates the field for women to apply relevant knowledge, but also participates in the construction of women’s social and family roles. After the hygienic narrative has been elevated to a discourse mechanism, it then transforms into a governmental technique by shaping the female body and gender aesthetics.
CAO Xiaohua.
The Hygienic Narrative in Science Popularization for Modern Women:A Discussionon Women’s World and Women’s Magazine. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2022, 44(10): 119-138