Part of Confucian teaching on an ordered world is respect for your elders, both in age and position, respect for the order of the group. At the turn of the 20th century young artists were challenging this way of organising society. To do this they promoted the rights of the lowest member of Confucian society, the girl. Liu Haisu’s Girl in a fox fur shocked audiences by depicting a confident modern young woman. Across the sea in Japan, artists were also challenging tradition. Yorozu in his Nude Beauty, embraced individualism. Alison Carroll visits Amanda Heng in her Singaporean studio and talks with her about how she uses ‘touch’ between women in her family as a way to challenge the patriarchal aspects of Confucian tradition.