Abstract Within the changing social and cultural context in modern China, weaving, at conceptual and institutional level, has transformed from a kind of handcraft into a set of symbols which deliver new meanings and spirits from the ritual, patriarchal, ethic, moral, aesthetic,economic and commercial aspects. Based on a tale of an influential woman weaver during 1930s in Shanghai, this paper aims to explore the life story of the needlewomen, a overlooked and marginal social group under the impact of industrialization. The special attention will be on the role of education in the identity construction of these lower professional women, and their pursuit of life and career.
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