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Historian and Asian Studies professor Paul Ropp and student Molly Thompson examined issues of gender as expressed in Chinese literature of the 18th and 20th centuries. |
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My era and my fate
Professor Paul Ropp's research
A hundred times turning, I recount this life
And deeply lament my era and my fate.
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More than a decade buried deep in the boudoir,
I can achieve neither worldly success nor immortality
***
My talent and my fate,
Why so locked in mutual hate?
These disturbing lines are excerpts from the poetry of Wang Yun, a well-to-do Chinese
woman who lived in the city of Chang'an, China during the era of the American and French
Revolutions. While people in the American Colonies and France were casting off the governments
that kept them oppressed, Chinese women remained part of a society that severely restricted
their lives physically, intellectually and emotionally. Respectable women of all classes
were subservient to their male relatives and confined to home. Their most important duty
was to bear sons.
Historian Paul Ropp
is fascinated by the social and cultural history of China in the 17th and 18th century,
especially the lives of its women. He hoped that an examination of Wang Yun's writings
would provide insight into her life, her era, and the fate of many educated and talented
Chinese women. While Wang Yun's work appeared to have been admired by a close circle of
family and friends, she clearly felt her ambitions were stifled.
Historians know that literacy among upper class Chinese women increased significantly
during the Qing* dynasty (1644-1911). In fact, the writings (mostly poetry) of approximately
3,500 women were published during this period. Nonetheless, women authors were expected to
limit their writing to subjects and styles appropriate to their sex. Expressions of anger
and criticism were considered inappropriate. In the face of these sanctions, most literary
women confined themselves to what was referred to as "boudoir poetry."
While Wang Yun fulfilled the roles of wife and mother, her writing did not conform
to what was expected of women. Her poetry reveals a woman frustrated to the point of
despair by the limitations imposed on her by Chinese society. Despite her intelligence and
ambition, her sex prevented Wang Yun from embarking on a professional career, exercising
her talents in any public sphere, or engaging with men as an intellectual equal.
In her poetry Wang Yun expresses admiration of famous Chinese men who were able to follow
their ambitions, whether on the battlefield or as scholars. The only women with whom she
can identify are two fictional folk heroines who must disguise themselves as men to achieve
their ambitions. (One of these heroines was Hua Mulan, the subject of Walt Disney's 1998
animated film.)
In addition to poetry, Wang Yun also wrote plays. While most of these do not survive,
documents exist that give scholars clues to their content. For example, in Dreams of
Glory, the main character is a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to take
the civil service examinations and become a prominent official.
*Also called the Manchu or Ch'ing dynasty.
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Additional Resources
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| Scenes from Wang Yun's home city of Chang'an (now Xi'an). Situated at the eastern end of the famous Silk Road, Chang'an was one of China's ancient capitals. Three photos show the ancient city wall. The bottom left photo shows soldiers from the famous "terracotta army," created for the Emperor Shi Huang's tomb about 200 years before Christ and recently excavated. |
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