Chapter 8: China and the world
As a Chinese myself, it is very interesting to read about my own country from an American point of view. As I remembered, the history book I have read back in high school didn't structure in the same way as the textbook we are reading now. Especially the section of “ Women in the Song Dynasty.” In China, we don`t emphasize this part of history is because that we still a patriarchy society. We spend a lot of time to memorize the dates, events, historical figures, and major accomplishments. Most of these historical figures are males, and the events are involved with males. As a result, I don`t really interested in history back in China since I can`t see myself in anywhere of the history. But, with Strayer`s book, I received a different perspective of China. Chinese history appealed more interesting to me in this way. Stayer states that “ the ‘golden age’ of Song dynasty China was perhaps less than ‘golden’ for many of its women, for that era, marked yet another turning point in the history of Chinese patriarchy.” (371)Women in Tang dynasty enjoyed a great freedom than in earlier times. But, when it came to song dynasty, a more tighten patriarchal society has formed. One of the major symbols is the foot binding, which created a new standard of female beauty. The foot binding practice usually broke the bones of the foot for young girls and wrapped them extremely tight which cause a lot of pain. The real intention under this so-called “ beauty standard” was the restriction of women`s freedom and patriarchism. Also, as Strayer says that, during that time “ women were frequently viewed as a distraction to men`s pursuit of a contemplative and introspective life.”(371) This is very true. We have a saying called “ hong yan huo shui” ( 红颜祸水）which can be translated into “ women are the cause of troubles.” This is a very popular saying that people still using today. As Chinese women, I think it`s very important to study how this patriarchal society developed over time so we can be strong and stand up for our rights.
As a Chinese myself, it is very interesting to read about my own country from an American point of view. As I remembered, the history book I have read back in high school didn't structure in the same way as the textbook we are reading now. Especially the section of “ Women in the Song Dynasty.” In China, we don`t emphasize this part of history is because that we still a patriarchy society. We spend a lot of time to memorize the dates, events, historical figures, and major accomplishments. Most of these historical figures are males, and the events are involved with males. As a result, I don`t really interested in history back in China since I can`t see myself in anywhere of the history. But, with Strayer`s book, I received a different perspective of China. Chinese history appealed more interesting to me in this way. Stayer states that “ the ‘golden age’ of Song dynasty China was perhaps less than ‘golden’ for many of its women, for that era, marked yet another turning point in the history of Chinese patriarchy.” (371)Women in Tang dynasty enjoyed a great freedom than in earlier times. But, when it came to song dynasty, a more tighten patriarchal society has formed. One of the major symbols is the foot binding, which created a new standard of female beauty. The foot binding practice usually broke the bones of the foot for young girls and wrapped them extremely tight which cause a lot of pain. The real intention under this so-called “ beauty standard” was the restriction of women`s freedom and patriarchism. Also, as Strayer says that, during that time “ women were frequently viewed as a distraction to men`s pursuit of a contemplative and introspective life.”(371) This is very true. We have a saying called “ hong yan huo shui” ( 红颜祸水）which can be translated into “ women are the cause of troubles.” This is a very popular saying that people still using today. As Chinese women, I think it`s very important to study how this patriarchal society developed over time so we can be strong and stand up for our rights.
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