Chinese literature and “New Methods of Midwifery” during the 1950s

The literary description of the movement, “New Methods of Midwifery,” during the 1950s is not only a historical record of the innovation of delivery techniques, but also a demonstration of the realization of bio-governance at the grassroots level, and of the reformation of traditional gender concepts. These works directly criticized outdated delivery methods and the traditional concept of life that traditional midwives observed and also documented the development of bio-politics in New China. The writers portrayed a series of images of traditional midwives and socialist midwives which left a traceable legacy of visions of Chinese professional women. This article aims to investigate the images of this special professional group and their cultural significance to the reformation of Chinese fertility culture, daily life and the development of bio-politics during the 1950s.