Motherhood as Method: Chinese Feminism and Gendered Resistance in the Works of Yu Hong and He Chengyao

Abstract

This article explores how contemporary Chinese women artists Yu Hong and He Chengyao engage with the concept of motherhood as both a cultural construct and a critical strategy. By situating their practices within the historical trajectories of Confucian ethics, Maoist gender policy, and neoliberal maternalism, the paper argues that their art articulates a form of ‘Chinese feminism’ shaped by socio-political constraints and localised resistance. Through case studies of Yu’s introspective Witness to Growth series and He’s visceral performance 99 Needles, the essay demonstrates how maternal imagery is mobilised not to idealise but to question and redefine female subjectivity. While eschewing overt feminist labels, their work subverts dominant narratives of motherhood, challenging state control, patriarchy, and censorship. In doing so, Yu and He carve out a unique feminist voice that merges personal memory, bodily experience, and visual politics within the Chinese context.