Sunday, January 27, 2013

Family and Women In Early China

     Ancient Chinese culture placed a tremendous amount of importance on the interactions and duties owed by family members to one another. As China moved from the reign of the Western Zhou to the 'Warring States' period the role and importance of women began to decline. Nowhere is the change in social status more evident then when the writings in The Book of Songs are compared with the later writings contained in the The Analects of Confucius. When reading through the poems of the former the voice of the woman is given an equal weight and she often displays an open passion for her male lover. It reads much like the ancient Biblical book The Songs of Solomon using colorful metaphors to describe each other. This is in stark contrast to the way Confucius described, or often completely ignored, women in the social environment of his times. The purpose of this paper is to show the difference in the importance of women when comparing the poems of The Book of Songs and the words of wisdom from The Analects of Confucius.
     The poems of The Book of Songs were combined over an estimated 400 year period during the Zhou dynasty. The first poems were sung in the Zhou courts as early as 1000 B.C., but the current version was put together somewhere around 600 B.C. Eva Sternfeld in A Stone Age Matriarchy: The Yangshao Culture states that, "Chinese researchers believe chiefly on the basis of the burial evidence, that the Yangshao culture was matriarchal." The Yangshao culture, which lived prior to 1766 B.C., lived in small communities in central China and lived of the production of millet. Based on archaeological evidence from that period of time it appears that womens burial plots were larger and decorated more elaborately than their male counterparts indicating the possibility of a matriarchal society.
     As Chinese culture moved toward the period of the Shang, the role of women seems to have diminished slightly as men began to take charge of the kingdom. Conrad Schirokauer in A Brief History of Chinese Civilization states, "Kingship was hereditary, but intergenerational succession from older to younger brother was as frequent as intergenerational inheritance, usually from uncle to nephew." It is apparent from this passage and a study of the rulers of this time that the leadership of society was firmly patriarchal in nature. What is not as apparent from the limited writing of this period is what role women played, but extrapolating from the later writings during the Zhou period it can be assumed they still held a prominent role in society.
     During the reign of the Zhou dynasty the culture of the Chinese becomes more vivid and descriptive. The best source material available to observe the role of women in society is The Book of Songs. Throughout this famed work there are beautiful poems describing the interactions and feelings between a man and a woman. The woman was able to freely express her desires and feelings toward her husband with passion and authority. A brief portion of the poem Southern Hill from The Book of Songs gives a great example of this as it reads;
"When we plant hemp, how do we do it?
Across and along we put the rows.
When one takes a wife, how is it done?
The man must first talk with her father and mother.
And once he has talked with them,
No one else must he court.
When we cut firewood, how do we do it?
Without an axe it would not be possible.
When one takes a wife, how is it done?
Without a match-maker he cannot get her.
But once he has got her,
No one else must ever approach."
     In this sonnet there are specific duties that the potential husband is required to perform before he is able to take his bride. Once he has completed the traditional tasks he is able to court his future bride, but she is given such an important place in his life that he must never approach another woman in the same manner.
     Your Black Coat in the same book give an example of the passion and forwardness a woman felt comfortable in expressing when it states the following;
"How well your black coat fits!
Where it is torn I will turn it for you.
Let us go to where you lodge,
And there I will hand your food to you.
How nice your black coat looks!
Where it is worn I will mend it for you.
Let us go where you lodge,
And there I will hand your food to you.
How broad your black coat is!
Where it is worn I will alter it for you.
Let us go to where you lodge,
And there I will hand your food to you."
     Even a woman in western society of the early twentieth century would have blushed at the presumptive nature the author takes on inviting herself back to the mans house and tend to him.
     Even the male of this period showed a love and respect for the woman that is not apparent in the later teachings of Confucius. Once again returning to The Book of Songs we find the poem A Splendid Woman which contains the following excerpt;
"Hands white as rush-down,
Skin like lard,
Teeth like melon seeds,
Lovely head, beautiful brows.
Oh, sweet smile dimpling,
The lovely eyes so black and white."
     It is plainly obvious that this writer did not think of his woman as a possession, but yet a thing of beauty that he was fortunate enough to behold.
     This equality among the sexes began to disappear as China entered the 'Warring States' period and Confucius began to change the role and status of those in the family unit. No longer do we read about the woman in a loving manner, rather if she is mentioned at all, it is as the possession of the man. The once poetic driven codes of life were now largely bound by the wandering teachings of the great philosopher Confucius. A great way to understand the change in family structure and the importance of women during this period is to look directly at the source, The Analects of Confucius.
     The new status of women is plainly obvious in the following short paragraph from Confucius, "The Master said:"Women and underlings are especially difficult to handle: be friendly, and they become familiar; be distant, and they resent it.""
The philosopher refers to women as if they were some sort of stray animal that one should not feed or ignore lest it attacks. While this is one of the few mentions of a woman, unless she is mentioned in conjunction with her husband as 'parents', the remainder of Confucius' work was dedicated to the relationship and duties of the son.
     In The Analects of Confucius the author clearly pays homage to the Zhou and 'The Poems', but clearly ignores their focus on women. The is apparent in the following paragraph;
"The Master said: "Little ones, why don't you study the Poems?
The Poems can provide you with stimulation and with observation,
with a capacity for communion, and with a vehicle for grief.
At home, they enable you to serve your lord. Also, you will
learn there the names of many birds, animals, plants and trees.""
     Confucius confirms the importance of The Book of Songs in the ancient Chinese life, but once again fails to speak of the importance and natural relationship between a man and woman. In fact, in the following he shows disdain for the all too human feeling of lust when he wrote, "A gentleman must guard himself against three dangers. When young, as the energy of the blood is still in turmoil, he should guard against lust." This is in stark contrast to the desires demonstrated in The Book of Songs he claims to venerate.
     The Book of Songs and The Analects of Confucius are important works that shed light on the life and beliefs of the ancient Chinese. They also show how the attitudes and beliefs about the importance of a woman changed and began to decline. The Analects of Confucius played a major role as the work of the philosopher gained respect shortly after his death. No longer was the woman a beautiful being to respect and cherish. Instead, she became a possession which by many was even to be considered a curse when born. The speed of which women lost their role is amazing when compared to other cultures. In fact, as many cultures of this time period began to place more importance on women, the Chinese went in the opposite direction and remained this way virtually to this day.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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