This study examines Chinese female professional Go players by integrating
analyses of (a) the structure of the Go field, (b) the concrete configurations of
four forms of capital (cultural, symbolic, economic, and social), (c) the structure
of gende...
This study examines Chinese female professional Go players by integrating
analyses of (a) the structure of the Go field, (b) the concrete configurations of
four forms of capital (cultural, symbolic, economic, and social), (c) the structure
of gender mechanisms and identity perceptions, and (d) role-transition pathways
and their influencing factors. The analytical focus is on how these players,
within an institutionalized and gendered context, allocate and shift roles across
“competition–teaching–transmission (dissemination)” and how they construct and
sustain their professional identity.
Methodologically, grounded in Bourdieu’s field and capital theory, the study
incorporates Wang Xuan’s six elements of identity as well as role-transition and
boundary theories. It combines literature review with an examination of China
Qiyuan regulations and competition schedules, semi-structured interviews with 11
female professionals, and analyses of policy and media texts to trace how the
four capitals are converted and how gender mechanisms impose situational
constraints.
The main findings are as follows. The Go field features a status structure of
“one-time professional entry (pro qualification) + dynamic ranking,” identical
match formats for men and female alongside unequal resource allocation, a dual
evaluation system that combines post-game reviews and AI, and a hybrid
livelihood structure integrating “institutional income + market income.” female
players rely on cultural capital composed of technical skill, pedagogical
competence, and narrative resources; secure external visibility through symbolic
capital such as professional qualification, national/representative team status,
league participation, and media labeling; accumulate economic capital through
team salaries, league prize money, teaching, commentary, and event
collaborations; and build social capital through networks involving family,
coaches, teams, and students/institutions. In terms of gender mechanisms,
disadvantages in the number of female’s events, prize money, sponsorship, and
media attention; male-centered training standards; labeling and the “burden of
representation” reduce capital conversion rates. Meanwhile, limited livelihood
guarantees and weak job-linkage arrangements within national teams and affiliated
clubs/teams facilitate pathways of “competition plus teaching” or
“teaching/transmission-centered” careers. Nevertheless, many players incorporate
losing streaks into growth narratives and accumulate “experiences of recognition”
through professional qualification, league participation, and teaching roles.
Differences in identity become salient in evaluations of livelihood prospects and
the sustainability of continued competition, and in the proactive choices that
follow from those evaluations.
Role transition appears as a reversible, multi-stage pathway from
“competition-centered → competition/teaching in parallel →
teaching/transmission-centered,” shaped by the interaction of leagues and
institutions, organizations and employment structures, family and life course,
media and the public, and technologies/tools (AI). In particular, league eligibility
and the stability of female’s titles influence whether competition can be
sustained, while fixed segments in commentary and teaching provide stable
expressions of “extra-competitive professionalism.” AI lowers entry barriers to
high-quality training and mitigates gender gaps, while simultaneously creating
new occupational roles such as “interpreter/translator” of analysis.
In sum, professional identity and role transition are not a simple dichotomy of
strong versus weak; rather, the same identity is expressed differently depending
on conditions. When cultural capital can be smoothly converted into symbolic
and economic capital, maintaining a “competition-centered” orientation becomes
more feasible; when conversion is constrained, strategies emerge that maintain
field engagement through teaching and transmission. The study contributes in two
respects. First, it brings Go as an intellectual sport into the scope of sports
sociology and identity research, highlighting a structure of “identity stability–
positional variability.” Second, it offers a refined explanation of female
professionals’ occupational experiences and life-course choices through an
integrated framework of “four capitals–gender mechanisms–identity–role
transition.”