Beside the innumerable male characters in the Chinese classic, The Romance of The Three Kingdoms, there is one female general: Lady Zhurong (祝融夫人). This thesis addresses the research gap in studying the unique case of Lady Zhurong, the only woman in the novel that leads an army in battle. By using a qualitative method, the thesis investigates how Lady Zhurong’s portrayal is influenced by her gender. An intersectional theory is used to contextualize how her ethnicity as Nanman (南蛮) and her social status intersects with her gender. Furthermore, it compares her to how other minor male generals are portrayed. The analysis finds that Lady Zhurong’s character should be understood from the context of her ethnic background and the overall negative portrayal of the Nanman. Nevertheless, as suggested in the story through the description of the Nanman, some gender norms differ between them and the Chinese society of the time. This enables her to have more autonomy than other women which in turn enables her to fight on the battlefield and lead an army. Despite the general negative depiction of the Nanman, Lady Zhurong’s portrayal, performance, and the expectations of her as a general is equivalent to that of the male generals in the story. Compared to other Nanman generals she even outperforms them. However, her character should not be understood as merely an emasculation of the other Nanman-generals. Lady Zhurong has agency, and the findings can contribute to our wider understanding of women’s multifaceted roles in traditional Chinese society.
经典名著《三国演义》虽然刻画了无数的男性角色，但它却只塑造了唯一一位女性将 领——南蛮女将“祝融夫人”。本论文以这个少见的角色为研究主题，采用质性研究 的方法，以祝融夫人这一独特的女将形象为例，分析研究小说人物形象的塑造如何受 到角色性别的影响。并利用交叉性理论的分析视角，结合祝融夫人的“南蛮”身份， 探究民族背景与社会阶层如何与性别交互影响。此外，本文也分析比较祝融夫人和其 他男性将领角色。所以本文发现因为小说对南蛮的评价负面,因此必须在这个背景当中 理解祝融夫人的角色。尽管南蛮和当时的汉人社会都有性别角色的差异，但祝融夫人， 比较三国演义上的其他女性角色有更多的自主权，甚而统率部队上阵。在对南蛮的普 遍负面描述中，祝融的军功和野心都是比肩男将军，甚至比其他南蛮将军更出色。然 而，这个角色的功能并不仅仅是削弱其他南蛮将领，而具有个体能动性。这些发现有 助于我们更广泛地理解传统中国社会中女性的多元面貌。