The present paper explores Shanghai women's cross-dressing in 1930s. Via Judith Butler's theory of gender studies, the present paper proposes to investigate gender politics and read female body as performance in ”Women Pictorial” that challenges cross social codes and patriarchal orders. On the other hand, viewed in the light of Chinese cultural/historical context, the present paper attempts to highlight the zeitgeist of Sino-Japanese war time to examine the national consciousness.