Writing Women in Modern China introduces the works of less familiar women writers of the first three decades of this century along with new selections by more prominent authors from the late Qing (c.1890-1911) through the SinoJapanese War. These twenty-two works of fiction, drama, autobiography, essays, and poetry, each newly translated and prefaced by the author's photograph and a short biographical sketch, introduce women whose literary careers coincided with an era of tremendous social, political, and cultural turbulence.

This book begins with an essay charting major developments in the study of gender, literature, and women's writing in China, as well as historical background information. From Chen Hengzhe's seminal short story "One Day", the first piece of literature in modern vernacular Chinese, to Feng Yuanjun's story "Separation", which examines the conflict between traditional filial obligation and modern marriage based on love, Writing Women in Modern China offers an unrivaled opportunity to explore an important body of imaginative works.