Spence's 'Death of Woman Wang' / Female Non-Personhood
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A 5 page paper examining this book by Jonathan D. Spence. Looking at social conditions in seventeenth century China, the paper argues that women in this era were essentially not considered to be people at all. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Filename: Wangwomn.doc

Spence's 'Death of Woman Wang' / Social Abuse
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A 5 page paper examining the theme of domestic abuse in 17th century China in this book by Jonathan D. Spence. The paper argues that because Chinese society placed so much power in the hands of one gender at the expense of another, tragedies like the brutal death of Mrs. Wang were inevitable. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Filename: Womnwang.rtf

The Idea of Womanhood in Traditional Chinese Society
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Since as early as the 7th century B.C., women in China have been permitted to hold positions of power and even lead in prominent positions as national figureheads. Unfortunately, no level of leadership, education or social prominence for women could change the patriarchal nature of traditional Chinese society. From the early Han Dynasty to the last of the Chinese dynasties, the Ch'ing Dynasty (17th-early 20th centuries) women have played significant and defining roles in the political structure of China, though these roles have been defined by the death of their husbands and their circumstances rather than by the social acceptability of female leaders in Chinese society. This 5 page paper reflects the lives of a number of prominent women in Chinese history, including Ban Zhao of the Han dynasty, Song Ruoxin of the Tang, Empress Wu Zeitan of the Zhou Dynasty, and Tzu-Hsi, dowager Empress of the Ch'ing Dynasty and defines the impact of the patriarchal definitions in determining their impact on history. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Filename: Womnchin.rtf