Violence and desire in Beijing: A young Chinese woman's strategies of resistance in father-daughter incest and dating relationships

Abstract

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. © 2007 Sage Publications.