10.1177/0097700404270674 ARTICLE MODERN CHINA / JANUARY 2005 Shea / SEXUAL “LIBERATION” AND THE OLDER WOMAN Sexual “Liberation” and the Older Woman in Contemporary Mainland China JEANNE L. SHEA University of Vermont Over the past two decades, the People’s Republic of China has witnessed a growing media debate concerning traditional injunctions against romance, sex, and marriage in later life. This article explores middle-aged and older Chinese women’s attitudes concerning sex in later life, the actual prevalence of sexual activity among these women, and the relation of their sexual attitudes to their sexual behavior. By comparing media discourse on the sexual “libera- tion” of Chinese elders to the views and behaviors reported by 200 rural and 199 urban Chinese women between the ages of 40 and 65, it demonstrates that this discourse is based on many inaccurate assumptions about older Chinese women and the role of “feudalism” in their lives. In addition, the article exam- ines how factors typically associated with “feudalism”—including exposure to information sources, place of residence, education level, and household composition—relate to women’s sexual views and activity. Keywords: Sex; China; women; aging Over the past two decades, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has witnessed a growing media debate concerning traditional injunc- tions against romance, sex, and marriage in later life. An array of edu- cational books, magazine articles, newspaper pieces, and television programs have broadcast the message that contrary to the myths of “feudal superstition” (fengjian mixin), romantic and sexual activity in older married couples is not unhealthy or inappropriate; rather, it is a healthy and normal part of middle and old age. In addition, contempo- rary Chinese media sources have stressed that for older widowed men and women, romance, remarriage, and subsequent sexual involve- ment are not selfish, undignified, or immoral, as “feudal tradition” 1 MODERN CHINA, Vol. 31 No. 1, January 2005 1-33 DOI: 10.1177/0097700404270674 © 2005 Sage Publications