The spectacular performance of the Chinese women's football team in the 1999 Women's World Cup earned them the title of "female heroes." However, following their victory in the 2022 Women's Asian Cup, the Chinese public rarely referred to them as "heroes" but “Steel Roses”, the focus also shifted to off-field anecdotes and their feminine appearance. Why has the image of women footballers undergone this transformation? Who has driven the shift from a "hero narrative" to a "human narrative" for these athletes? Existing feminist literature often portrays women as passive figures or protectees within nationalist narratives. This study, by exploring the changing roles and images of Chinese women footballers, offers a nuanced perspective distinct from that of Western feminists on women's multiple representations in national narratives. By analyzing changes in China's political and economic contexts, I argue that the evolution of gender politics of Chinese Communist Party—from the communist ideals of women's liberation during the socialist period to the revival of traditional "filial piety" cultural norms alongside the infiltration of capitalist patriarchal culture in the post-socialist period—has influenced the changing image of Chinese women footballers. employing feminist state theory and interpretations of nationalism as theoretical frameworks, this study conducts a qualitative textual analysis of media descriptions of the Chinese national women's football team during the significant events of the 1999 Women's World Cup and the 2022 Women's Asian Cup. The findings reveal that in 1999, female football players were portrayed as androgynous "heroes" embodying masculine traits in service of nationalist goals, challenging traditional feminist interpretations of women's roles in relation to the state. By 2022, these players were depicted in sexualized, domesticated figures emphasizing feminine qualities and family roles. This shift reflects how women's bodies are instrumentalized by the state within the Chinese context and highlights the complex ways Chinese women negotiate their relationship with state power, and nationalism.