The life conditions of women in the traditional chinese society

Résumé du document

As in all the countries and eras, women were regarded as inferiors in China, especially before the beginning of the Twentieth Century. However, it is noticeable that in traditional Chinese society, the living conditions of women, were unaffected by any ethnocentric considerations, and were more difficult than in most of the countries around the world, especially those of the West. Firstly, the position of the Woman in the traditional Chinese society was influenced by the Confucius moral for a long time. Thiss model granted very little consideration to women. According to the Chinese beliefs dating from the first millennium BC, and then introduced in into the teaching of Confucius and his disciples, the world was composed by two complementary and opposed elements: the Yin and the Yang. The first one embodies all things passive, weak, and dark, and has always been associated to women; the second element, on the contrary, symbolizes everything which is strong, active and bright, and has always been represented by the men.

Extraits

[...] The real purpose of that custom was to cut them from the outside world, from the public sphere, and to keep them home, within the private and family sphere, and, above all, to prevent them from organizing themselves together in order to protest and revolt against their own condition. So, indeed, the position and life conditions of women in the traditional Chinese society were very difficult, mainly before the Twentieth Century. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, with the rise of liberal and feminist movements with revolutionary women such as Jiu Jin, things are going to change for Chinese women, and their condition in the society kept improving. [...]

[...] Feet binding was a deep-rooted tradition in China, and was besides, seen as a mark of gentility and was most prevalent in the upper classes. Moreover, this custom that today we consider as barbarous was romanticized and even eulogized in the society, and the so-called purpose of that habit was that the smallest were the most beautiful ones. The foot considered as «the ideal foot was the one which was reduced to three inches in length from heel to toe The painful of women who were foot bound contrasted with the widely spread poetic appreciation of men. [...]

[...] The degree of foot binding generally varies according to the social class the concern woman belonged. Poorly bound feet were regarded as a sign of laziness and poor breeding. However, in few but not enough parts of China, the custom was less common, for instance Manchu women or in Guangzhou. But, most of the time, this practice was real. It consisted to wrap and bend tightly the females' feet, until the arch was broken and the toes permanently bent under . [...]

[...] What and where are the origins of the position of women in the traditional Chinese society? Also, what are the practices wich have resulted of the originel principles regarding the position of females in the traditional Chinese society? Firstly, the position of the Woman in the traditional Chinese society for a long time is a result of the Confucius moral, which granted very little consideration to women. Indeed, according to the Chinese beliefs dating from the first millennium BC, and then introduced in into the teaching of Confucius and his disciples, the world was composed by two complementary and opposed elements: the Yin and the Yang. [...]

[...] So, if in other societies, the life condition of females has always been difficult, especially before the Twentieth Century, in China, being a woman at that era, in the previous centuries, was very difficult and worst than in most of the other countries. In fact, Chinese women where used to have their foot binding, to make them smaller. This habit had been introduced in China since a very long time that is to say since the Tenth Century. This custom of bound feet was introduced principally by the Neo-Confucian philosophers under the Sung Dynasty (960-1279); indeed, these thinkers further elaborated the code of feminine ethics by re-emphasizing the practices of seclusion and segregation of women. [...]