"In every Olympics since 1988 women have increased their representation over men. Their extraordinary performances have thrust Chinese women into the global limelight and sparked considerable interest, not to mention controversy, with accusations of drug violations, and yet there remains a paucity of analytical literature on Chinese elite women's sport not only in China but throughout the world." Drawing on Chinese sources hitherto unavailable in the West, official documents and interviews with top athletes, Dong Jinxia explores the rise of the Chinese super-sportswomen and their relationship with politics, culture and society before and during the Cultural Revolution and through China's transition to a market economy. This readable work will appeal to students of sports studies, journalists and general readers fascinated by the rise of the Chinese women super-athletes.