Women In China During "The Long Eighteenth Century" During the 18th Century women in China continued to be subordinated and subjected to men. Their status was maintained by laws, official policies, cultural traditions, as well as philosophical concepts. The Confucian ideology of "Thrice Following" identified to whom a women must show allegiance and loyalty as she progressed throughout her life-cycle: as a daughter she was to follow her father, as a wife she was to follow her husband, and as a widow she was to follow her sons. Moreover, in the Confucian perception of the distinction between inner and outer, women were consigned to the inner domestic realm and excluded from the outer realm of examinations, politics and public life. For the most part, this ideology determined the reality of a woman's live during China's "long eighteenth century?" This is especially true for upper class women.
The philosophical idea of yin and yang is found throughout Chinese culture, literature, and social structure.
English: Yin & Yang
Yin Yang Gua
Deutsch: Yin YangThe idea is that the world is made up two opposite types of energy which must be kept in balance with one another. Neither is greater than the other, or more important than the other. In respect to gender, yin is female and yang is male. Yin is private life within the family and yang is public life outside the family. Men were to focus on public life and outside affairs and support the family while women were to focus on private life and support the men.
For many men resisting the pressures of scholarly careers, women appeared as guardians of stability, order and purity. The woman's quarters, secluded behind courtyards and doorways deep in the recesses of the house offered a refuge from world of flux, chaos, and corruption. Women nurtured and tutored men when they were...