CHI 331—001
Hui
Yao
Instructor:
Liang Luo
November
10, 2013
The Chinese Women’s Value
As we all know, the Chinese women's social
status has been on the low side. This kind of situation from the long history
of ancient social change that have a lot of example to prove this phenomenon. Since
modern times of China, how does the women's status change? I think I can use
this a few words to describe the status of women: form men can be respectable
while women are placed lowly, Three Obedience and Four Virtues, man can marry
several ladies but a woman just have one husband to independence and freedom.
In my mind, the Chinese
women's status from the Hundred Days of Reform began to turn. Until The Second
Sino-Japanese War from 1937 to 1941 in China, a lot of women began to use their
behavior to protect their dignity and National. For example, during the Second Sino-Japanese
war, many innocent women by the Japanese raped, turned into a prostitute. At
that time this phenomenon is very common and also is a tragic things. Because
the women cannot protect themselves and they are a small and weak group. What
is more, the prostitute in Chinese people mind is not a good man. A lot of prostitutes
in people’s heart status is very low and being looked down upon. In Yan
Geling’s novel “The Flowers of War”, it mentioned a scenario
that is when some prostitutes wanted to enter the church shelter, “Father
Engelmann noticed the chattering girls and yelled fiercely, ‘Ah Gu! Take those
girls away. They mustn't see these women!” (Yan, on page 7) “Get out! We’re not
taking in refugees!” (Yan, on page 8). I believe that the Christian father
Engelmann wanted to protect the young girls the pure heart. But in his mind, he
also have a deep taboo psychology of prostitutes. When the young girls knew
these women were prostitutes, they were also to give prostitutes the dirty
look. “‘There’s no room to swing a cat in the Safety Zone, it’s crammed!’
chimed in a younger girl” (Yan, on page 8). But at last, because of the
situation of war at that time, the priest accepted prostitutes’ temporary
refuge in a church. Despite all this, the father Engelmann also did not allowed
them to used bathroom with young girls together. This discrimination continues
the Japanese soldiers rushed into the church and found the young girls
students.
After Japanese soldiers found these
young girls, they wanted to let these female students went to the Japanese victory
meeting to sing some songs. Everyone knows, this is must be a Japanese’s trap.
If these young girls went to there, it must be let Japanese insulted. When girl
students were unwilling to let Japanese abuse and ready to collective suicide,
a prostitute who named Yumo saved them. In our mind, the prostitute do not
deserve people's respect, and someone also said they are not have emotion, as in
this novel said, “People always said that whores had no heart.” (Yan, on page
169) But in this novel, these 13 whores in order to save these innocent girls students’
life that they were instead of the church of female students and dressed up as
these young girls look, everyone holding a knife went to a miserable death of
appoint. Through this result, I remember in this novel a prostitutes said, “Our
lives are worthless’, she said, ‘not worth rescuing. All we are asking for is a
good death. Even the lowliest of beasts, pigs and dogs, deserve a clean, and
merciful death.” (Yan, on page 10) I think they also wanted to let people know
that they were not only the prostitutes, but also they have their own dignity. When
danger is coming, they also can like a man to save their own country and their
compatriots. Yumo said, “Because we’ve got no face to lose. Because when we’re
alive, we’re less than human, and when we die, we’re less than demons. Because
we can be beaten and humiliated by anyone at will.”(Yan, page 27) However, the
value of women in China make no distinctions between the high and the low. They
can also sacrifice themselves to the nation, but never sacrifice their dignity.
Furthermore, the Chinese women in
politics also sacrifice a lot. And some women’s sacrifice not only used their
dignity and life, but also used their moral integrity to realize their value. In
the Eileen Chang’s novel----“Lust, Caution”, the female protagonist played as a
spy in order to serve her country. She used her beauty and body to attract Mr.
Yee who is a Japanese spy and she need to kill him protect she’s country. Young
Chia-Chih’s friend wanted her become the mistress of Mr. Yee and make him fall
in love with her. After many failures and test, finally, Mr.Yee was falling in
love with Chia-Chih. When they finally have their one chance to assassinate Mr.
Yee in the jewelry store, Chia-Chih realizes she loves him, “He really loves
me, she thought. Inside, she felt a raw tremor of shock—then a vague sense of
loss. It was too late.” “Run,” she said softly.” “For a moment he stared, and
then understood everything.”(Chang, on page 39) Unfortunately, Mr. Yee, in
turn, executes everyone involved in the plot, including Chia-Chih. Through
Chia-Chih’s action, I found she has the common characteristic of many women.
When she knew Mr.Yee love her, she began to get emotional and no longer rational
to carry out her task that led her and her friends to the tragic end. In my
opinion, although Chia-Chih did not succeed to kill Mr. Yee, but she dared to
sacrifice herself and save the national spirit makes me admire very much. In
China, not every woman can do this.
The Chinese women’s brave and the spirit of
sacrifice is undeniable. They were used their action to improve the social
status and value. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, they are also is cannot
be ignored group and an indispensable power of China’s development.
Works
Cited
Geling,
Yan. Flowers of War Part I. China Book International, 2006.
Chang,
Eileen. Lust, Caution. Taipei: Crowning Publishing, 1983.
.
