Architectural metaphors: construction of feminism vis‑à‑vis Confucian culture in women’s magazines in China

Abstract

Feminism is frequently depicted through the metaphors of struggle and warfare in English-language magazines, underscoring an oppositional stance towards patriarchal structures. Yet, the discursive construction of feminism in Chinese women’s magazines, unaddressed by Chen (2023), remains underexplored. This study investigates the use of architectural metaphors in representing feminism within the context of Confucian cultural values, analyzing two magazines, Women of China and Marriage and Family. A corpus of 4,182 articles (3,631,345 words) was analyzed. Lexical realizations like “construction” and “support” were identified using the AntConc 4.2.4. Architectural metaphors are prioritized for their systemic structural mapping and Confucian cultural embeddedness. In Women of China, women are framed as primary builders of national projects, while in Marriage and Family, they are portrayed as individuals developing within family life. Under a Confucian lens, these metaphors depict feminist progress as a form of “social renovation” grounded in harmony. To explore intersectional tensions, the metaphors integrate rural–urban and caregiver-professional identities as complementary “structural components”, reflecting the Confucian ideal of “harmony in diversity”. This study reveals how women’s dual roles in family and society are framed as natural extensions of the social structure, offering concrete strategies to promote gender equality while accommodating cultural traditions.