Exploring the Evolution in Gender Values in the Works of Modern Chinese Female Writers: A Comparative Study of Ling Shuhua’s “Embroidered Pillow” and Eileen Chang’s “Love in a Fallen City”

Abstract

Scholarly research on the novel collections “Embroidered Pillow” and “Love in a Fallen City” primarily focused on the portrayal of female characters and the reflection of marital perspectives, while lacking comparative studies on the changes in gender value orientations in the works of female writers from different periods. Through the comparative analysis of the two works, this study identified the evolution from the pursuit of women’s liberation under the constraints of traditional gender norms during the era of Ling Shuhua to the awakening and reshaping of gender roles in the period of Eileen Chang. It demonstrates the increasing attention paid by female writers to women’s self-space, continually moving towards a conscious gender awareness. This study explored the Evolution of gender value orientations in the works of modern Chinese female writers. This also contributes to a deeper understanding of the development trajectory of female literature and provides a literary perspective for the construction of contemporary gender equality concepts.