This book examines how pioneering female translatorsstarted from La Jeunesse (新青年, also known as “Xin Qingnian” and “New Youth”), the iconic journal of China’s New Culture Movement, to negotiate Western ideals of love and modern women with their synthesis of Christian beliefs, Confucian virtues, feminist theories, and nationalism ideals. This book offers a comprehensive study of female translators’ contributions to China’s gender politics, challenging the male-dominated narratives of the New Culture Movement. By analyzing their translations and para-texts published from 1915—1930, this book shifts focus to pioneering womenwhose translations (not only in La Jeunesse but also later in different types of publications integrated with Christianism, Confucianism, Marxism, cosmopolitanism, etc.) actively reshaped discourses of love, femininity, modernity, and nationhood. By recovering their overlooked agency, this book dismantled the myth of translation as a passive or derivative act, instead positioning it as a strategic tool for redefining women’s roles in early twentieth century China.

Dr. Shuhui Yin(尹姝慧) is an assistant professor at Macau University of Science and Technology. Specializing in translation studies and the history of minds, her research examines the interplay between theoretical discourses and real-life experiences, with a focus on academic analysis with empathetic engagement in the textures of ordinary life.