The Chinese Women’s Value

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.

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