The “Age of Middle Women”: Mysticism or Reality?

A concept called the “age of middle women” is very popular right now. Where did this come from?

Simply put, it is a modern attempt to interpret real social changes through the symbolic system of the Book of Changes.

It has some plausibility, but ultimately amounts to a half-reasonable, half-nonsensical generalization.

Let us start with the mystical perspective. Feng shui has a concept called “Three Periods and Nine Cycles.”

Three periods: the Upper, Middle, and Lower periods.

Nine cycles: each period contains three cycles, each lasting twenty years, totaling 180 years.

Our current rotation runs from 1864 to 2043, as follows:

Some interpret this theory to mean that 2004–2023 was an earth cycle, corresponding to the Gen trigram representing mountains and earth. Thus, they say, real estate boomed, infrastructure construction surged, and educational competition intensified in an age of material desire.

Meanwhile, 2024–2043 is a fire cycle, corresponding to Li, the trigram of fire. Li can be interpreted as the “middle daughter”—I do not understand the precise explanation either—so this period is called the “age of middle women,” characterized by women's rise, emotional outbursts, and the dominance of technological and cultural innovation.

This is actually a very forced interpretation.

For example, under the same theory, 1844–1863 was also a Nine Purple Li Fire cycle. Did that period represent the rise of women?

Clearly not. China was still under the Qing, and women's liberation movements in Western countries were not particularly flourishing either.

For Chinese women, the fastest rise in status came after 1949. Was that a Nine Purple Li Fire cycle?

No. It was a yellow cycle, belonging to earth. I really cannot see what that has to do with women.

Someone will say, “You don't understand mysticism at all! You should interpret it like this, and this…”

Fine, I admit I do not understand much about mysticism. But your inconsistent standards only further demonstrate that you are forcing the connection.

In fact, precisely because the 2020s have seen growing female consciousness and discussion of gender, some people forcibly attach the Nine Purple cycle's “Li as the middle daughter” to these social phenomena.

In other words, had women's issues not become prominent, these people would not be discussing an “age of middle women.” They would explain the “Nine Purple Li Fire cycle” some other way.

There is also a considerable element of commercial manipulation: some people can profit from promoting this concept.

For instance, do certain supposedly feminist films really aim to advance women's rights?

Not necessarily. But investors in feminist films certainly expect a market and want to make money. If returns fall short, they will reduce such investment. Once they have invested, however, hyping the “age of middle women” concept obviously brings every benefit and no harm.

Another example comes from Baozhu's article “Celebrities Selling Crystals: Bottomless Marketing Tricks” in World View, issue 2 of 2025. It points out that many celebrities have joined the ranks of crystal sellers, and the best-selling jewelry invariably has mystical associations. The article says:

**(A celebrity) said in the six-minute video mentioned above that 2024 marked the beginning of the Nine Purple Li Fire cycle, and that crystals such as amethyst, rutilated quartz, and golden strawberry quartz would boost one's fortunes over the next twenty years.

Linking the “Nine Purple Li Fire cycle” to “women's rise” can thus affect certain product prices in the short term:

Mid- to high-end crystals have generally risen in price by around 50%. Xiaoqing noticed that since last year, a half-basin green phantom quartz bracelet had become 2,000–3,000 yuan more expensive. A jewelry professional told the author that an agate bangle called “White Moonlight,” priced below 100 yuan in 2023, had been hyped up to 300–500 yuan in 2024.

It is a win-win, though: merchants and celebrity sellers earn money, while buyers gain psychological comfort. To those buyers, that comfort may be worth far more than the extra hundreds or thousands of yuan.

Of course, none of that is what I am trying to say. I have no intention of criticizing this phenomenon.

I simply want readers to know that mysticism is a cultural narrative rather than scientific prediction. Reality is complex; mysticism merely offers a simple model and a sense of reassurance.

You can call today the “age of middle women,” but it can also be the “age of youngest daughters,” the “age of eldest daughters,” or the “age of eldest sons,” “middle sons,” or “youngest sons.” Everyone has an opportunity, through effort, to realize their life's value in the next twenty years.

We therefore believe that the future is determined by everyone who works hard and pursues justice, and by social laws, rather than by a particular trigram.