Lotus Feet: Considerations on the Chinese Woman in the book "Passaporte para a China", by Lygia Fagundes Telles

Abstract

In 1960 Lygia Fagundes Telles traveled to China at the invitation of the communist regime. Her impressions were published at the time in the newspaper Última Hora and later gathered in the book Passporte para a China (2011). This article analyzes Lygia's impressions about China based on her contact with two women in the Maoist regime. The work also examines how her chronicles dialog with the tradition of the travel narrative, specifically in relation to reports about the East. As a result, the articles present aspects related to the constitution of a chronicler's identity and at the same time unveil tensions in gender and class relations in Maoist China. Moreover, based on the Chinese case, the chronicles enable Brazilian readers to formulate new perspectives regarding gender issues in their own country.

Lygia Fagundes Telles; China; Travel report; Representation of women