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Violence and Desire in Beijing

A Young Chinese Woman's Strategies of Resistance in Father–Daughter Incest and Dating Relationships

Beijing Normal University

Petula Sik Ying Ho

University of Hong Kong

In Mainland China, there is a lack of public awareness of and systematic research on dating violence and incest. This article fills a gap in the research in this area by examining a woman's lived experience of father–daughter incest and dating violence. The article adopts the standpoint of third-wave feminists and highlights women's agency and resistance to abuse. Meng Xi, the subject of the case study in this article, is regarded as a "survivor" rather than a "victim," and her various strategies of resistance—in particular, how she talks about her body and linghun (intelligence soul), and uses the two as sites of resistance—are examined. The article sheds light on the desire and sexuality of women in contemporary China, and especially the struggle between spiritual and material pursuits.

Key Words: body • dating violence • desire • incest • resistance

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Violence Against Women, Vol. 13, No. 12, 1319-1338 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1077801207310802


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