Seminal work on women and sports in China

Daniel Alsarve
Department of Health Sciences, Örebro University

At the end of the twentieth century, Deng Xiaoping urged Chinese policymakers to construct a model of “comprehensive national power,” and Chinese sportswomen, especially in selected Olympic sports, came to stand at the forefront of this project. Chinese Women Striving for Status: Sport as Empowerment provides a comprehensive and systematic documentation of these developments. It analyses, with considerable expertise and empirical depth, the sporting achievements attained by Chinese sportswomen over recent decades. Its primary focus is on how China, and Chinese sportswomen in particular, have used sport as a means of achieving both national and international status. Sporting success has also translated into increased economic resources, which, for some women, have resulted in genuine financial independence. At the same time, these achievements are situated within a broader political framework, summarised by the concept of “soft power,” placing both the athletes and China itself at the centre of global attention.

The book consists of nine analytical chapters, together with a prologue and an epilogue. The authors have carried out a thorough and impressive empirical investigation and have produced a standard reference work that scholars and students interested in women’s sport, empowerment, or Chinese sport policy will need to engage with for a long time to come. The book opens with an analysis of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the extraordinary success of Chinese sportswomen at that event. Chapter 2 focuses on football, a globally dominant sport in which China, despite extensive efforts, has so far failed to achieve comparable success. Chapter 3 examines the One-Child Policy introduced in 1980 and its effects on talent development, elite sport, and women’s life choices, including how its abolition in 2013 has influenced attitudes toward career, family, and age. Chapter 4 addresses educational reforms in schools and universities, where sport and talent identification are now integrated into a broader meritocratic and strategic education policy. Chapter 5 discusses commercialisation and sport management, as well as the opportunities and conflicts these processes generate for sportswomen. Chapter 6 analyses the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing and Zhangjiakou from a geopolitical perspective and their significance for winter sports, tourism, and industry. Chapter 7 focuses on media and the growing importance of social media, while Chapter 8 evaluates recent sporting performances and their impact on women’s social status beyond sport. Chapter 9 presents in-depth case studies of specific sports and the successes and failures of female athletes. In the epilogue, the authors reaffirm their central thesis concerning China’s national and international sporting successes and the recognition these have brought, not least for women, but also for China as a nation.

How does the state ultimately view the marketisation and commercialisation of sport? What are the long-term objectives of China’s soft power and cultural-economic strategies? And what substantive differences will these developments make for women and girls in China compared with other national contexts?

Chinese Women Striving for Status is thus a book for readers seeking a comprehensive understanding of the recent successes of Chinese women in sport. Very little is left unexplored. For a Western reader, much of the content is of considerable interest. As a reader, one may feel both impressed and unsettled by the talent development programmes that currently characterize Chinese school policy. These programmes are impressive in their capacity to identify and cultivate elite talent across an entire population, something many sporting federations elsewhere might envy. At the same time, the authors are troubled by the limited scope of individual freedom and the marginal role afforded to pleasure-driven participation in sport. These tensions reflect fundamentally different worldviews and conceptions of life, and they are also part of what makes this type of analysis so intellectually engaging.

As a nation, China has experienced substantial economic growth in recent decades. Much of this success has been built on cooperation and exchange rather than the confrontation that characterised the Maoist period. Extreme systematisation and planning permeate these developments, often explained by the political governance through which the market and the economy are embedded. Sporting success in general and Olympic success in particular, serve as a symbol of these achievements and as a key element of China’s soft power strategy. However, the ultimate purpose and end point of this strategy remain unclear. The slogan of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, “One World, One Dream”, was multi-layered and encompassed messages of anti-racism, and there was even Tibetan imagery in the official mascot. At the same time, contemporary developments, such as China’s military mobilisation focused on Taiwan, suggest that integration and unity may be pursued at the expense of diversity and difference.

That authoritarian states have sought to host the Olympic Games is nothing new, and this is important to acknowledge. At the same time, the Olympic Games have often functioned as catalysts for the development of modern infrastructure. In China, sectors such as aviation and communications, hospitality and tourism, and various digital communication systems have undergone rapid expansion and transformation as a result of the Games. Moreover, the Olympics contributed to more equal treatment of sportswomen and sportsmen; as one representative in gymnastics expressed, “There was no discrimination in the workplace” (p. 15).

It is the most successful athletes who benefit most directly and who are elevated to the role of cultural ambassadors. The meritocratic system described is highly competitive and selective, serving an overarching political purpose. China’s global sporting successes are evident across many disciplines, yet Chapter 2 clearly reveals a persistent ambition to achieve success in football. The introduction of Campus Football Programmes illustrates this commitment. Currently, 537,100 schools and universities are involved, encompassing a total of 289 million students. Investment has also extended to football-specialised preschools: in 2019 there were 3,570 such institutions, with a target of 10,000. Whether this initiative will result in future international success remains to be seen.

Although the book foregrounds sport as an emancipatory pathway for women, it also demonstrates how education and improved economic status have reshaped ideals of femininity. As the authors note, “Women today are no longer just ‘housewives,’ but wage earners. Virtually everywhere has women’s presence [sic]. Women have achieved great success in many fields, from acting to business, from science to technology, and more” (p. 73). The overall picture presented is one of progress and achievement. However, alongside these developments, the prevalence of mental illness has also increased and is now regarded as a widespread national public health issue. The state imposes requirements on schools in this and other health-related areas; for example, if students’ health indicators decline for three consecutive years, the school may be sanctioned (p. 87).

State governance is more extensive in China than in many Western countries, thereby limiting individual autonomy among young people. At the same time, this strong state presence appears to be motivated by concern for citizens’ wellbeing. In 2021, four hours of physical activity per day were introduced for younger pupils, alongside two hours of compulsory physical education for older students. In primary and lower secondary schools, an additional minimum of 30 minutes of daily physical activity is required to ensure adequate exercise and recovery. These measures clearly illustrate how state intervention seeks to prevent lifestyle-related diseases from becoming entrenched within the population.

The book claims that China is the only nation to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, which is the sole factual error identified. France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Italy, and Canada (as well as South Korea) have also hosted both events. This may reflect the occasionally celebratory tone of the text. China is undoubtedly a sporting superpower with impressive achievements and enormous potential. Nevertheless, there are also darker sides to sporting success, or? This has not been the primary focus of the authors and is thus not addressed. Many questions are left unasked, and that omission lingers after reading this book. How does the state ultimately view the marketisation and commercialisation of sport? What are the long-term objectives of China’s soft power and cultural-economic strategies? And what substantive differences will these developments make for women and girls in China compared with other national contexts? These questions are not raised to cast suspicion on the book’s arguments, but rather out of genuine scholarly curiosity.

Finally, it is worth noting the book’s occasionally unusual layout. Almost every paragraph is preceded by a subheading, and the title of Chapter 8, for example, contains two semicolons and a colon (Chinese Sportswomen; Ultimate Self-Chosen Goals: Continued Olympic Glory and Attained Gender Recognition; The Chinese Dream). This, in a symbolic sense, reflects the content of the book itself. It is ambitious, systematic, and detailed in a manner that at times neglects the reader and the reading experience. Yet for those who are motivated and willing to look beyond the occasionally information-dense prose, a rich and rewarding reading experience awaits.

Copyright © Daniel Alsarve 2026