The Construction of Modern Health:

A Study on The Content Evolution of Women's Physical Education Textbooks in Modern China

Abstract

During the Republic of China period, under the dual influence of Western cultural input and social ideological liberation, the compilation and implementation of women's physical education textbooks became a key factor in promoting women's physical liberation and social change. This study focuses on women's physical education textbooks, aiming to explore their dual role in the development of women's sports: on the one hand, textbooks closely link sports with patriotic consciousness through nationalist discourses such as "healthy women defending the country"; on the other hand, the systematic curriculum system based on textbooks and the establishment of professional colleges such as women's physical education normal schools have promoted the large-scale development of women's physical education and triggered deep-seated social changes. Women's physical education textbooks during the Republic of China period were not only a medium for the transmission of sports skills, but also a reflection of the transformation of gender concepts - its scientific transformation of traditional body concepts and health discourse promoted the transformation of women from "disciplined objects" to "autonomous and healthy subjects", providing a unique gender practice path for social change.