Confucianism left Chinese society as a “world of grief and misery,” and “all the living beings of the whole world are but murdered things” (Kang Youwei). I along with other intellectual revolutionaries are advocating to change the way women are perceived in Chinese society (Ebrey and Walthall). It is time to free mankind of the miseries of life stemming from Confucian texts. We must change the cultural values and question our morality from persecuting individuals as seen in the film, Raise the Red Lantern, to unifying the masses. It is of the utmost urgency to abolish the nine boundaries which divide men from women, masters from servants, class from class and pure from impure. We must reach the Grand Commonality of justice, peace-and-equality, …show more content…
If there was no double standard between genders, there would be no oppression of women. If there were no families, Confucian values and familial traditions would no longer be passed on. Chinese society would be on the path to the Grand Commonality to end all suffering. I have come to a realization that not only is it necessary to address the boundaries which plague our society, it is necessary to prioritize the order in which we abolish them, as most boundaries overlap. Of the three boundaries clarified in the film, we must destroy the family first, because if there were no familial relationships, Confucian values would not be passed on and there would be no marriage, minimizing the power men hold over women. Through eliminating the gender boundary, additionally the class boundary would be targeted, given masters are male, while mistresses and servants are typically female, meaning male masters could no longer discriminate against his wives and servants on the basis of gender. Once the nine boundaries are destroyed, I am fully confident “conduct and customs will be excellent, human nature will have become perfected,” and “faults and mistakes should just about be eliminated” (Kang
Lessons for Women was written by Ban Zhao, the leading female Confucian scholar of classical China, in 100 C.E. It was written to apply Confucian principles to the moral instruction of women, and was particularly addressed to Ban Zhao’s own daughters. As her best remembered work, it allows the reader insight into the common role of a woman during this fascinating time-period. The work starts off by Ban Zhao unconvincingly berating herself, and claiming how she once lived with the constant fear of disgracing her family. This argument is rather implausible, for the reader already knows the credibility of Ban Zhao, and how important her role was in ancient China.
Confucius believed that proper behavior within all types of relationships was dictated by a hierarchy that should be honored and preserved in order to maintain harmony within oneself and the rest of society (Bulliet 86). Zhao respected and supported these ideas in her own writings as she regularly makes reference to the notion that relationships between married men and women should be guided by the principles of yin and yang. According to Zhao, “as Yin and Yang are not of the same nature, so man and woman have different characteristics”, hence while the yang is firm and strong, the yin must be flexible and gentle (Zhao). Her advice to her daughters and the rest of her female audience was meant to help them avoid the shame that came with breaking the rules of society and promote a happy, harmonious lifestyle. To Zhao and most others, the inequality that existed between men and women was an inherent and necessary quality of traditional Chinese life. The historical context in which Zhao lived gives sufficient information to understand her position and motivations in Lessons for a Woman, nonetheless, her views on education add a unique dimension to her
The Sun of the Revolution by Liang Heng, is intriguing and vivid, and gives us a complex and compelling perspective on Chines culture during a confusing time period. We get the opportunity to learn the story of a young man with a promising future, but an unpleasant childhood. Liang Heng was exposed to every aspect of the Cultural Revolution in China, and shares his experiences with us, since the book is written from Liang perspective, we do not have a biased opinion from an elite member in the Chinese society nor the poor we get an honest opinion from the People’s Republic of China. Liang only had the fortunate opportunity of expressing these events due his relationship with his wife, An American woman whom helps him write the book. When Liang Heng and Judy Shapiro fell in love in China during 1979, they weren’t just a rarity they were both pioneers at a time when the idea of marriages between foreigners and Chinese were still unacceptable in society.
The united States Declaration of independence states that all men are equal, but aren’t all women as well? Nowadays, the numbers for the population are at an increase for the support in gender equality, with the capture of feminist labels. The seek for equality between men and women, and criticize the privileges that arouse by gender differences. However in Old China, males control almost everything due to a patriarchal society. At that time, not only men, but also women are influenced by male chauvinism. In the Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, female characters are affected by an unequal perspective despite their age group.
ꀀ ꀀine a world of unequal social status. Envision a world where customs are different, whether that is through family or political standpoints. In America, in today’s day and age, every human being despite their gender is supposed to be seen as equal. In our modern world, gender equality is beginning to prevail, and men and women are looked at on the same level. However, there are still flaws in our society. Some of these flaws are exemplified through Cao Xuequin’s novel The Story of the Stone: The Golden Days, Volume 1. The Qing Dynasty, as depicted through the families in the book, portrays a life of unequal gender relations, through marriage, family matters, and education.
Gender hierarchies have been a central pillar of social orders almost since its inception. However, the balance has not been remotely even throughout history, with patriarchies far outnumbering matriarchies. Despite the large dominance held by men, it was not all black and white in East Asian societies. Even though Tang and Song China were all patriarchal, they were very different in their application and influences of gender hierarchies.
Traditions in Chinese culture are long-rooted and are taken very seriously from generation to generation. However, there must always be room for modern change in order for society to grow and strive across the globe. In Bound Feet and Western Dress the conflict between Chinese traditions and modern change arises. With this conflict it is important to discuss the different meanings of liberation for men and women and they way in which Chang Yu-I was able to obtain liberation throughout her life.
Chen, Jo-shui. "Empress Wu and Proto-feminist Sentiments in T'ang China." In Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, edited by Frederick P. Brandauer and Chün-chieh Huang. 77-116. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Qiu Jin was a female revolutionary who died fighting the Qing Empire. In Qiu’s piece, An Address to My Two Hundred Million Women Compatriots in China, she addresses her 200 million strong female audience. Qiu tells her female audience that change is needed, “But I hope that from now on we sisters will do away with the state affairs from the past and exert ourselves to create new circumstances. It is as if we had died and been reborn as human beings.” . This message was progressive, as women in China at tis time did not have many rights. They were treated as second hand citizens in the eyes of most men. This call for equality that was coming from Qiu reached many women and recruited them to the communist cause. At the end of her piece, Qiu says something else that shows the importance of women in the communist revolution, “Men cannot be sure of their own survival, so how can we continue to rely on them? If we do not lift ourselves up now, it will be too late once the nation has perished” . Qiu made it clear that without the women’s help the fight for freedom would not be achieved. It was not only the female members of the communist party that were calling for equality for women. Mao Zedong wrote social reforms that explicitly gave women more rights. One that strands out is, “18. A women can dispose of her land the way she wishes when she is married” . The leader of the communist party made it clear that women need to have more rights. Hearing it from one of the major players of the communist movement reassured women that if this revolution were indeed to take place and succeed, then they would have more rights. If women were treated as equals they would be more willing to fight for Mao and the communist revolution. There were other factors that contributed in people joining the
Across cultures, many times similarities lay within them that go unnoticed. It is true that obvious differences set them apart; but if a closer look is taken, it is surprising what can be found. The Chinese culture is obviously different from the American culture, but underneath the surface there are similarities. One of them is how the treatment of women has evolved and changed. Anti-feminism in China has been present since ancient times, and has just recently decreased. Anti-feminism in America has never been as severe as it was in China; however, instead of the value of women gradually increasing over the years - it has reversed. The value of women in America has decreased. There are many similarities between the ancient Chinese women and the modern women of America. Women in China and women in America have both gone through evolutions of how they are treated and looked upon; it is just that women in China have evolved, where the women of America have devolved.
Confucianism is not the easy part. Its function should neither be overcome. What is mainly critical here is to discharge the past growth of the tradition, with a number of concentration to the way in which the yin-yang hypothesis was interpreted, and which also resulted in the necessary of gender roles; the second thing is to differentiate among normative texts and real societal practice; and the third to take notice that it was just politicized Confucianism that turn out to be the follower of a cruelly patriarchal society. An inflexible societal hierarchy, of which the gender hierarchy was an element, was one way of preserving and maintaining an established society.
At the center of Japanese and Chinese politics and gender roles lies the teachings of Confucius. The five relationships (五倫） of Confucius permeated the lives of all within the Heian and Tang societies.4 However, the focus here will be on the lives of the courtesans. The Genji Monogatari provides us with an unrivalled look into the inner-workings of Confucianism and court life in the Heian period. Song Geng, in his discourse on power and masculinity in Ch...
There is no denying that the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party under Chairman Mao Zedong changed the course of the history of China and shaped the China the world sees today. The amount of lives, cultural traditions, and differing intellectual thoughts that were lost and destroyed as he strove to meet his goals for the country can never be recovered or replaced. However, it had been asserted that one of the more positive effects of Chairman Mao on the people of China was his somewhat radical opinion of woman. Prior to the Communist Revolution, women’s role in Chinese society was almost completely limited to life within the home and focused on supporting their family and being submissive to their fathers and husbands. Chairman Mao realized that women were one of the oppressed groups in China that could be utilized to increase his control over the country. While women’s rights still have a long way to go, it can definitely be said some of Mao’s polices advanced Chinese women in ways that would have been unimaginable before his rise to leadership. The more relevant questions are regarding Chairman Mao’s intent behind these polices and if they were destined to fail from the start due to the cultural and political climate in 20th century China.
The early part of the novel shows women’s place in Chinese culture. Women had no say or position in society. They were viewed as objects, and were used as concubines and treated with disparagement in society. The status of women’s social rank in the 20th century in China is a definite positive change. As the development of Communism continued, women were allowed to be involved in not only protests, but attended universities and more opportunities outside “house” work. Communism established gender equality and legimated free marriage, instead of concunbinage. Mao’s slogan, “Women hold half of the sky”, became extremely popular. Women did almost any job a man performed. Women were victims by being compared to objects and treated as sex slaves. This was compared to the human acts right, because it was an issue of inhumane treatment.
What has happened to Confucianism. For a long time, Confucian was accepted as the idea that a healthy society depended on a solid traditional family. Confucius himself, for example, called for people to put principle above selfish desires. People supported hierarchy. The rulers moral example would inspire the people to live good lives. But one begins to detect a new theme emerging in society especially amongst the Chinese reformers: the theme of individualism oppose to familialism. Today, would the Confucian family be more and more aware of abuse to women and children? The rituals and traditions can be seen as both positive and negative. The ways in which women suffered affirm that some rituals were abusive. There are multiple signs indeed that something has gone badly wrong with the Chinese family traditions that led to family instability.