Women's Magazine Study

The Ladies'Journal(Issued Monthly),started and published by Shanghai Commercial Press,is a comprehensive magazine specifically orientated for females.The Ladies'Journal lasted for 17 years,with its 1^st issue of the 1^st volume published in January 1915 and the 12^th issue of 17^th volume in December 1931,and was forced to close on Jan.28^th 1932 because the publishing house was bombed out by the invading Japanese army.As one of the most influential periodicals with a long history in the history of Chinese women newspapers and periodicals,The Ladies'Journal covered almost all major cities of China at the time,and such overseas areas as Singapore and others.In modern China,no other female periodicals could ever compare with The Ladies'Journal in time span,coverage, circulation,audience or social influence.It is commonly considered one of the most important reference publications in the study of women's history of that time.The Ladies'Journal was established in the same year of New Culture Movement,and its evolution covered the period of May 4^th Movement.Both of the historic events are also politically significant,and thereby have been perceived as a great divide and landmark of Chinese Modern Ideology Liberation.With its unique form,The Ladies'Journal reflects through its content the trace of ideological revolution in modern history of China.It thus functions as an important window of women's movement at that time.As a paper medium with the integration of knowledgeability,palatability and pleasurability,The Ladies' Journal has made an initiative contribution to women issues,and the aspiration and hopes expressed in the journal constituted a colorful landscape in the New Cultural Movement. The Ladies'Journal was not among the mainstream media on feminist initiation.However, the journal has been equally indispensable as mass media tend to exert continuous and profound influence on the formation of genders.The ideal masculine and feminine images described in the journal also conditioned people to imitate in real life,or even to change themselves accordingly.In this sense,mass media determine people's gender.This thesis aims to study this distinguished journal,with its evolution as a focus,so as to explore its modeling function for the women at the time in particular and the society in general.It is also designed tO study the social changes reflected through the models.On the basis of an in-depth and detailed text analysis of The Ladies'Journal,the thesis expatiates and concludes feminine life styles and role constructions,thereby,with a purpose to understand the unique charm of this long-lasting journal as well as its influence on the value orientation and prospect of contemporary feminine periodicals.The thesis is composed of three chapters.The first chapter traces the establishment, management,editing staff and audience of The Ladies'Journal,with an end to elaborate its representative significance among the feminine journals of the time.With the journal as a case study,this part exemplifies the development of modern feminine journals,and illustrates the characteristics,administration,problems and social effect of feminine journals.The analysis is expected to provide some helpful inspiration for the growth and management of contemporary feminine media.Chapter two is the detailed study of the journal(1915-1931).Through the analysis of its works,the chapter categorizes the various feminine figures depicted in the journal,to reflect convincingly the self-emancipation,self-identification and self-development of modern women.It also tries to clarify the positive influence of media on the self construction and spiritual orientation of women in modern China.Chapter three elaborates on the leading role of media to knowledge culture and humanism.It intends to explore the relationship between feminism and feminine journals, which may provide some reference for the value orientation and medium function of contemporary feminine journals.On the basis of the discussion above,the thesis comes to the conclusion that feminine journals reflect the retrospect,orientation and influence on contemporary media with females as major target audience,and that the evolution and reconstruction of women's social roles can be inspiring to the feminine perspective on life,value and happiness.