Portrait of a Modern Lady

(Beijing) -- On the tightrope of femininity, converging dynamics of traditional culture and modern mores can make for a tricky balancing act. Celebrity commentator, professor and publisher of fashion magazine iLook, Hong Huang has become a symbol of changes to a woman's place in contemporary Chinese society.

Named the "Godmother of Chinese Fashion," by the Wall Street Journal, Hong is known for her unyielding honesty and bold statements on politics. Hong's mother, Zhang Hanzhi, was once an English tutor of Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong and was considered an influential cultural icon of the Zhongnanhai elite. Her parents divorced in 1973 and her mother remarried Qiao Guanhua, who would later become China's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Yet despite Hong's illustrious upbringing, audiences have been in thrall with her musings in large part because of her outspoken opinions on what makes a woman.