Chinese Style Divorce? - Zum Wandel des Rollenbildes chinesischer Frauen in Scheidungen

Abstract

The article examines how the TV series “Chinese Style Divorce” (Zhongguoshi lihun), broadcasted in Mainland China in 2004, conveys the contemporary situation of married couples in distress, and how these portrayals reflect on the development of Chinese family law in the 20th and its state in the early 21st century. By comparing a fictional TV series with recent developments in regulations concerning divorce, the article demonstrates that the introduction of the condition of “emotional breakdown” as a ground for divorce, a juridical milestone of 1981 especially for women, has become an impediment with regard to the increasing liberalisation and individualisation of expectations and the new complexities of Chinese family life. Show more