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This paper discusses representations of femininity in the poetry of three women authors from China -- Zhai Yongming (b. 1955), Lü Yue (b. 1972), and Zheng Xiaoqiong (b. 1980) -- whose works are associated with a distinct feminine poetics. These poets do not shy away from representing their feminist point of view, and their texts are often written against the hegemony of a male-centered literary discourse. At the same time, however, they counter some of our longstanding expectations surrounding female-authored poetry. Drawing upon examples from their works I argue that since the late 1980s, the past and present subaltern condition of women has been a crucial point of interest for women poets in Mainland China. Since then, these authors have been preoccupied with the search not only for an independent poetic language, but also for a genealogy of female creativity, to which they might adhere in their artistic endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview of papers included in the Fall 2014 issue of the "Harvard Asia Quarterly," with topics such as the orchid paintings of 17th century Chinese courtesans to illuminate how they were seen as tokens of courtship or seduction, the transformation of female student imagery in China from the late Qing to early Republic era, and a look at three Chinese female poets.