In discussions on feminism the point of view taken by researchers is usually a very European- or American-centric perspective, which has developed a particular set of prescribed problems and solutions in the field of feminist studies. Mayfair Mei-hui Yang, editor of Spaces of Their Own (1999), contends that, in regards to feminism in Transnational China, feminism is more complex in discovering a way to fully liberate women in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the People's Republic of China (PRC). This paper will discuss the main argument of the papers presented in Spaces of Their Own, positing that women in Transnational China have yet to develop a true space of their own, as well as examine the changing roles, setbacks, and general views of females in light of this information.
The main discussion throughout Spaces is how a public sphere or space can be carved out for women of Transnational China. Yang uses Jurgen Habermas's concept of "Offentlichkeit," or open/public sphere, which refers to the "public expression and debate that reflexively feed back into the self-knowledge and restructuring of society" (Yang, 1999, p. 2). In early capitalistic societies, this meant a physical space, such as the town square, as well as a collective conscience of a particular group of people. Currently, it can refer to any public place where expression occurs, including periodicals, radio, television, the Internet, and even telephone hotlines. Yet, as Yang and other contributors to Spaces reveal, these forms of expression typically seek to control the masses, either as a capitalistic core that commodifies the news, or as an arm of the state. They are also usually male oriented or a product of Western feminism, neither of which addresses the state of Chinese women.
Further, while the sphere of the Chinese woman varies from country to country, it is also consistent within the Chinese culture. Yang states that "cultural China" is a "common Chinese ...