The New "iron Girl," The Historical Context Of The Image Generated

After the founding of P. R. China as working people become masters of the country, new images of working women had become the symbol of "New China Women" which was promoted by the new China's authority. It seemed like only few images representing women in this new age are left in people's mind today, especially the "iron girls" one showing women with strong, masculine bodies. This article tries to start a thorough analysis on one of such typical images which was a cover picture of "Xing yan-zi" (one typical "iron girls" of the working people) on the 20th issue of "People Illustrated" (Ren Min Hua Bao) in 1960 that opens a new perspective of working women and their social identities and gender in P. R. China.In the process of research all related and possible political files, historical materials, literature documents and other culture materials in art, film and drama are collected along with interview recordings of "Xing yan-zi", editor and writer of drama based on her story. Methodology of culture study is applied on this typical women image to re-present the sound meaning and process of such image-forming in temporal historical context, and to explore deep relations amongst reasons forming up such visual image.The conclusion of this article is, based upon analysis of conception of "Xing yan-zi" and its historical context, Marxism and Mao thoughts are the very theoretical foundation of this typical image of "Xing yan-zi", the original need of women labor during that period of time is the direct pre-condition as need of "representing new hero models" drove the creation of plays and dramas themed with such typical image. The same purpose of serving the same ideology unified image of "Xing yan-zi" and "iron girls", which both met up with requirement of women, especially working women, in P. R. China. Emphasizing social status, gender and youngness of "Xing yan-zi" showed an image of "women of iron" who is better at working than men in general, which, hopefully, would stimulate all spared labors in this new country to join the re-establishment of China, then with the same process of "de-gender", both symbols of masculine bodies and other opposite feminine elements were still serving the same purpose which did not necessarily mean ideology of the nation gave up on "emancipation of women", it was more practical that the theoretical explanation made a strategic transformation when theories encountered with difficulty in reality-this is the actual historical context which dominated creation of such image.