Women of the Ancient World presents: life of women in China. Below are links to articles and videos that reveal what life was like for women and girls throughout Chinese history.
In ancient China girls were usually illiterate, schooled instead in the practice of homemaking. Even today, marriage for some women can be a big change as it may entail adopting a different surname. In China the idea of joining a different family was especially extreme. A woman was no longer able to pray to her own ancestors and as a new bride had little power over her life. If her husband was wealthy and powerful he might have had other wives as well. It wasn't until old age that wives gained more respect and control over their families.
The most important thing for a wife in ancient China was to bear a male heir. This preference for sons has lingered in China for some time. Even recently, under China's One Child Policy of the late 21st century, female infants were abandoned or killed leading to the current gender imbalance.
Further Reading
1) The Culture of Women
This first site, though geared towards younger children, offers some great information on the lifestyles of women. Topics include education, makeup, food and more:
2) Ancient Sentiments Affecting Today's Women
This article discusses how China's history of disdain for girls going back centuries, coupled with harsh reproductive regulations enforced by the government, has affected women today :
When trying to research what the lives of women were like over the years, it becomes clear that most of what is known concerns people of higher classes. Since most records and depictions did not include commoners, it is more difficult to understand what they went through day to day. Still, by learning what was expected of upper class women we can gain insight into what values and attributes were normal for all women.
Videos
This video gives a good overview of how women were expected behave in China. Also shows how exceptional some women were.
BONUS HISTORY: You may have noticed these women addressed by "courtesy names." Apparently these were names that were given to men and women who were coming of age at 20 and 15 years respectively. The courtesy name replaced the childhood name that had been used up until that point. They were combined with the family name to create someone's full name and the childhood name would thereafter only be used by close relations. This custom dropped out of fashion after the 20th century. Read more about Chinese names here!
In any family, balance and compromise are important in providing a stable home. In China the concept of Yin and Yang helped explain the ideal attitude a women should maintain.
Notice, in the second video here, how again the importance of Yin and Yang is mentioned.
Again, this focuses on women who were becoming wives of the emperor, so they weren't exactly commoners...
This video provides more examples of women who were truly extraordinary. These women opted to play a very direct role in protecting their homelands as opposed to simply raising sons who would go on to be warriors themselves.
How do we know what life was like in China throughout history?
Written accounts and illustrations are useful, as are oral traditions. When exploring the lives of ancient peoples however, these resources are not always available. In these cases excavations become necessary. Check out: "Ancient House Discovered in China" and "Discovery of Civilizations in China" to see what excavations can uncover!
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