This panel contributes to current scholarship on the representation of public women and female agency across different genres in premodern China by bringing in four comparative studies of dramatic, fictional, and religious texts dated to the Ming-Qing period. Focusing on women visible and/or active in public spaces, the panelists not only examine gendered narratives on the interplay between female ambition and male desire and the dialectics of social mobility and social hierarchy, power dynamics within multilingual, cross-cultural settings of marital alliance/diplomacy between Han and non-Han nomadic tribes, but also explore the multivalence of gendered subjectivities revolving one historical woman as literary, cultural, and ethnical constructions by various groups across different genres, and multifaceted roles of religious women played in their integration of religious practice and secular activities. Collectively, this panel opens new approaches on women’s studies and investigates underexplored texts in premodern China.

Wenbo Chang’s presentation “Courtesans, Concubines, and Sisters: Comedies of Female Ambition and Male Desire” examines two zaju comedies about courtesans’ movement from public pleasure quarters into domestic spaces and eventual return to their origin: Jiu fengchen and Fu luochang. Courtesans marrying into respectable households as concubines indicate remarkable fluidity of the otherwise strict social hierarchy in premodern China. While the fact that they managed to marry up and escape from their marginal status is evidence of social mobility, yet their awkwardness and even failure to adapt to their new role in domestic life revealed the tenacity of hierarchy. Through a comparative analysis of the two comedies, it explores the interplay between female ambition from a powerless position and male desire that dominates both public and domestic spaces and how the different dynamics between female agency and male authority in the two plays reflect gendered narratives on social mobility and hierarchy.

Mi Liu’s presentation “Speaking for Power: Linguistic Strategies for Female Dominance in A Ming Court Play” considers the intriguing intersection of language and power dynamics in the play Liuxing ma through its employment of bilingualism in a Han-nomadic marital alliance. The play extensively uses Mongolian language to highlight the linguistic strategies adopted by the nomadic chiefess and her Han scholar husband to compete for matriarchal or patriarchal authority. The critical role of language appropriateness and conversational engagement in determining one’s position in the familial power hierarchy is underscored. Being sidelined in conversations not only diminishes one’s ability to exert control but also symbolizes a loss of authority. Thus, languages extend beyond communication and becomes a strategic battleground for dominance. What is at stake in the struggle is the less dominant partner would be relegated to a domestic role and excluded from the public sphere.

Baoli Yang’s presentation “Recasting the Han Woman: Cultural Conquests and Wang Zhaojun in The Wonderful Karma of Double Phoenixes” centers on Wang Zhaojun, a female character who has featured numerous works in premodern Chinese literature since a brief mention of her diplomatic marriage with a chieftain from the Xiongnu confederacy in Ban Gu’s Hanshu. In the first half of the Qing dynasty, writers of different backgrounds built literary and social networks by refurbishing Zhaojun’s symbolic values in the discourses of gender, ethnicity, and politics. Yet, why would this lady from the Han court still be relevant to this conquest dynasty after 1600 years? What literary agencies can this character convey when elitist, commercial, and political motivations encounter each other? Yang’s study focuses on a novel written by Xueqiao Zhuren first published in 1809 and examines how this historical fantasy employs Wang Zhaojun to advocate Sinocentric sentiments which contrast the cultural policies of the Qing court.

Jinhui Wu’s presentation “Exploring the Fanmen qiyulu: Cultural, Economic, and Personal Engagements of Late Qing Buddhist Nuns” critically examines Fanmen qiyulu, an underexplored biji collection likely published around the turn of the 20^th century. It sheds light on the intricate relationship between religious practice and public life among Buddhist nuns in the Jiangnan district during the late Qing Dynasty. The study uncovers the multifaceted roles these nuns assumed in public life, notably through their socio-economic activities, artistic endeavors, and significant interactions with scholars. These engagements not only illustrate their profound integration into the socio-economic fabric of their times but also blur the traditional boundaries between religious commitments and secular life. By analyzing themes such as deceit, romance, and social dynamics, this article offers nuanced insights into the nuns' strategies for navigating societal constraints, thereby challenging conventional perceptions, and affirming their agency in Qing society.

The panel includes four twelve-minute presentations, a five-minute discussant’s comment, and twenty minutes’ Q&A.