Abstract: The Past and My Miserable Life, the two autobiographies written by Mao Yanwen and Liu Xi, reflect the complex and turbulent history from the perspective of ordinary people, and possess unique and precious historical value. Simultaneously, being women, Mao Yanwen and Li Xi display their characters with endurance and rebellion by their own marriages and careers, especially highlighting their growth as modern intellectual women. In spite of the disparate narrative styles, whether cold or enthusiastic, the two autobiographies provide real and vivid models for modern female self-fashioning.

Keywords: Mao Yanwen, Liu Xi, autobiography, female, self-fashioning