女性與博覽會：以1907年兩場展覽為例

Women and Exhibitions: A Case Study of Two Exhibitions in 1907

性別角色分派長久以來是維繫社會秩序的條件之一。20世紀初的中國，經歷了一個性別角色重整的階段。本文的目的，不在探討有哪些女性意識覺醒、或性別平權的訴求，讓女性擺脫體制的羈絆，而在於觀察怎樣的體制改變促使女性調整她們在社會中扮演的角色，即使是不自覺地。選取的觀察場域是清末中國參與在中國舉辦的博覽會。本文選取兩個發生於1907年的案例，一是中國參加的「梅勒本女工賽會」，另一個是同年在上海舉辦的「萬國賽珍會」。這兩個以女性為中心的展覽，都不是由中國發動，中國正面回應的目的，也都不是提升女性地位；但中國的參與，觸動了將女性納入國家生產力結構的議題，提供了女性進入更寬廣社會空間的機會，也促成了舊時性別分派框架的逐步鬆動。

Systems of gender roles have long constituted one of the institutions that contribute to the stability of society. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Chinese society underwent a major reconstruction of gender roles. This article aims neither to investigate a more or less vague awakening of female consciousness, nor to list the political claims made for gender equality, but rather highlights those institutions that incited Chinese women to play a more active role in society, even unconsciously. This article focuses on a new type of public activity in which visibility was sine qua non: exhibitions. Two exhibitions held in 1907 are examined here. The first is the First Australian Exhibition of Woman’s Work at Melbourne, in which China participated. The second is the International Fancy Fair and Fête at Shanghai, which mobilized the international community of women in the Settlement. Both exhibitions shared the particularity of having been exclusively of and by women, at least in principle. China’s response revealed the intention of incorporating women into a national productive force, without being fully aware of the repercussions on women’s social status. China’s participation offered an opportunity for women to gain a larger social space, and consequently to question the older system of gender roles.