Chinese feminism in the early 20th Century

Chinese feminism in the early 20th Century Introduction Ever since the origination of the concept of feminism, it has gradually grown to become a global process. The equality of women was the issue, remaining keen for many nations for a long time. The issue was promoted through circulation of ideologies and practices, which facilitated the discussions of the human rights based on gender.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Chinese feminism in the early 20th Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other processes, such as socialist revolution, capitalism and imperialism, also influenced the social minds and contributed to the demand for equality of women. It is pertinent to mention that feminism, essentially, generated the geo-political structures across the world. However, it is, indeed, necessary to explore feminism at the local level in order to fully understand as well as appreciate how the concept was applied by women to demand for their rights. Whe n feminism is studied from the standpoint of history of certain countries, it is possible for the audience to create a clear correlation between the global and local factors that have accelerated the spirit of feminism. On the same note, the desire of modernity among women leaders who have fought for equal rights should also be brought into perspective with the aim of understanding both the micro and macro processes, which have continually constituted the feminism. It is obvious that the feminism has always taken the perspective of the global discourse. In this particular paper, the history of Chinese feminism has been analyzed bearing in mind that this area of discussion represented the topic of the scholarly interest. It is against this backdrop that this essay gives a succinct discussion of the Chinese feminism in the early 20th century, the roots of feminism in the communist womens movement, and the demand for human rights by women activists in China. The roots of feminism and d emand for human rights Wang provides a critical analysis of the relationship between the gender bias and women discrimination. He tries to take into account various factors influencing the gender inequality. The author stresses that the mentality of the nation as well as the cultural and social norms play a crucial role in this respect. In addition, it is important to mention that the feminist ideals, which were eventually embraced and adopted in China, were the results of the influence of foreign countries.1Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Throughout the paper, the global context of Chinese feminism has been brought into focus with the aim of discussing some of the core factors, which led to the demand for equality by scholarly Chinese women. It is worthy to note that there are scores of historical contexts that are yet to be unearthed in regard to early feminism in China in spite of the large amount of work already documented by historians. Firstly, it is pertinent to mention that the conceptual and linguistic understanding of Chinese feminism is very controversial and ambivalent. For instance, when discussing the subject of feminism, it becomes clear that it is all about the pursuit of equal power or rights between men and women.2Although the term has been used and even interpreted differently by some male chauvinists, the meaning has never been diluted. It is not surprising that feminism is used derisively in China even in the modern society. Lingzhen holds the perspective that during the 20th century, the role played by women was heavily hampered by the local cultural practices. Moreover, they signified their positions in relation to the rights of the female gender. Furthermore, the Chinese people were brought up in the social environment with the specific systems of operations properly designed for both the male and female gender. As a res ult of the latter, the Chinese people were used to the social life that largely controlled their unique roles, responsibilities and powers. When the aspect of feminism was introduced in China in early 20th century, a lot of social changes were implemented.3 When the multiethnic empire of Manchu or Qing went down, a lot of transformations took place not only in China, but also in the neighboring countries including Japan. For instance, the decline led to the unprecedented rise of Japan. Moreover, the East Asian region experienced rather unique geo-political alignment, especially, towards the end of the 19th century. After China was outwitted by Japan in the 1895 battle, several reformers in China changed their perceptions and, for the first time, they considered Japan to be a real enemy as well as a neighbor worthwhile emulating. In other words, Japan became a center of attraction of diplomats, artists and students taking into account that it had proved itself as the powerful state i n the East Asian region. The massive movement of foreigners to Japan also led to the transfer and distribution of new ideologies based on citizenship, gender and nationhood. As Japan continued to embrace and adopt new ideas, reformers in China also felt the urgent need to keep in pace with their immediate enemy who had proved to be very successful.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Chinese feminism in the early 20th Century specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second half of the XX century in China was characterized by the dominance of the caste system. Undoubtedly, it facilitated the social inequality. In addition, the impact of the religious traditions contributed to the discrimination of women in the Chinese society. Later, when China became influenced by the intensifying process of globalization, the issue of gender inequality was one of the most urgent topics for debates in the Chinese society. One of th e strongest influences that gripped Japan was the birth of ‘women’s rights’ concept. A ripple effect of this concept was immediately circulated in China in the early 20th century. The assertion of women’s rights in China during the early 20th century represented the effort aimed at making sure that the Qing legal codes were modern enough and compatible with the changing societal needs. In addition, reformers in China argued that the most part of institutions had to be reformed. This marked the onset of Chinese feminism in the early 20th century.  According to Leung, the evaluation of the role of feminism usually involves the transition of the female gender from the state of being discriminated to freedom. The author attempts to seek the root cause of feminism in China during the 20th century. The first feminists’ movements in China appeared before the Mao regime and continued to grow after its fall. The issue of social and gender inequality became widely discussed in the Chinese society.4 These statements agree with the views expressed in the book Women in the Chinese enlightenment: oral and textual histories by Zheng, who provides an in-depth analysis of the roots and consequences of the social transformations in the country.5 From the early times, several shortcomings had been noted in regard to military reforms and the Qing legal governance codes. The cultural innovations were not on track in contrast to the demand of the society. By 1911, the dynasty had already collapsed. This fact ushered the period of warlordism and the first republic functioning, which was quite short in length. The latter lasted from 1912 to 1915.5 The KMT or Nationalist period lasted from 1927 to 1949 and was generally referred to as the second republic. It was during this period, when both social and political sanity was created in China. During the same time, the emergence of several social classes occurred. It was accompanied by the inception of myriads of subjectivities. The ‘new women’, urban dwellers, workers and professionals were some of the most salient groups of people, which emerged during the second republic. It is vital to mention that these individuals were also a part and parcel of activists who demanded for urgent reforms to be undertaken in China. Before globalization, social classes were mostly divided on the powerful and the powerless with the position of women remaining discriminated and oppressed by the men.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There was also economic disparity between the people born in the privileged wealthy classes and those, who represented the poor classes. There was a common opinion, in accordance to which the male gender held on to power and, as a result, it was a quite cumbersome for the female gender to acquire a similar status in society. The role played by the print media in promoting the rights of women cannot be forgotten in this discussion. Most importantly, women magazines played a crucial role in advancing of the new ideas, which were portrayed by the female activists, especially with respect to the basic rights. The Republican China also gave rise to the emergence of subjectivities, both males and females, originated from the bourgeois social layer. Tripartite circulation of fresh ideologies, which were considered a lot in terms of womanhood, were also the major stride made towards the introduction of feminism concept. China, Japan and Euro-America were the important vessels through which women ideals were circulated. Zhong pays attention to the historic process of the development of feminists’ movements in China. He mentions that the Chinese women achieved a lot in their pursuit of the gender equality. In particular, the full empowerment was guaranteed to them.6  In 1921, the Chinese Communist Party (CPP) was established. Later, in 1949, the People’s Republic of China was inaugurated. These two successive events in China brought up a completely new face and dimension in the discussion of feminism. Women’s movements and the raging debates on equality were also brought into the limelight. For the first time ever, several calls for women’s liberation came into the fore. Moreover, the discursive fields of equality received a major support from workers and other professionals. According to Zhong, gender differences between men and women in society were the major factors that defined the roles and positions, which could be taken by either men or women. Since historic times, and particularly the mid-20th century, women had the lower status in society. The situation was the same in the traditional Chinese society. After the adoption of various demands expressed by women, modern China has become made up of a males and females who are fairly empowered.  In spite of the efforts to pursue feminism in China, it took quite a long time to change the perspectives of the Qing rulers. Surprisingly, it was factual that even some women in China did not support nuxing zhuyi, as the article posited.7 For a long time, the Maoist policies had been used in the most draconian manner. Hence, there was a deep desire among reformers to push forward the revision of the systems of governance. For instance, there were several instances when women were harassed, prejudiced, or even discriminated in favor of men. The discriminatory policies against women led to calls for equality and liberty among the womenfolk. According to Leung, social classe s which were established when the Mao era was actively in place was mainly made up of clear differences between individuals and groups.  Between the first and second republic, a female role model with unique description was born. It represented an educated and working class of woman. They were considered to be independent-minded and resolute. Some of them were working in both print and visual media and, therefore, had better chances of airing the views of women suppressed by male dominance. These pioneering women were a landmark in the history of feminism in China bearing in mind that they marked the beginning of a long period of liberation struggle that would eventually shape the modern China. Besides, most Chinese historians who produced a lot of literature on feminism tended to agree that the western feminists significantly influenced the Chinese women in the struggle for their rights and equality. The post-Mao reform period was also instrumental in creating a level playing gro und for both men and women. Zarrow is of the opinion that the Chinese feminism in the early 20th century was occasioned by the desire for reforms and internal revolution especially among the womenfolk.8 The author undertakes an in-depth analysis of feminism in China with the aim of exploring revolution in terms of rights, freedoms and equality for women in addition to provision of a clear correlation between the historical background and current events. In retrospect, Zarrow points out that it took quite a long time for the Communist women movements to take off.9 The Japan factor must have significantly contributed to the onset of the feminism in China.  There are three outstanding themes that can be individually pointed out when exploring feminism in China during the early 20th century period. Firstly, women’s power and women’s rights emerged as very powerful terms during the early feminist era in China. The latter were embedded under the concept of n ¨uquan. Seco ndly, the visions of modernity as well as the media appeal were also brought out clearly in this context. Finally, the contending discourses were explored in terms of the feminist body, which was used as the points for initiating the scathing attacks against the non-reformers. The draconian Maoist regime was one of the targets of feminist movements.  The perspective taken by Zarrow is almost similar to that of Hershatter. Both authors are quite categorical that social inequality in society posed myriads of challenges to the economic and social well being of the Chinese people.10 In any case, China went through a long period of social inequality. This vice was largely occasioned by gender differences that eventually led to the wide disparity between males and females.  During the first ten years of the 20th century, several Chinese female elites changed the perspective of women’s rights. These elites made several deliberate efforts and attempts to expound the meanings of n ew womanhood and modernity. They employed all methods to push for the rights of women in political participation, sport activities, the achievement of economic independence as well as gaining high quality education. The elites created sharp comparisons between the foreign and Chinese women so that the world could agree with the need for reforms. In most instances, several social practices were legitimized among women in China after their statuses were compared to those of the western females who had been already declared them as being ‘liberal’. The unstable interpretations of modernity were mainly agitated for by the female Chinese readers and writers. These attempts were undertaken by the new Chinese Republic to pursue the ideals of other western countries.  Wesocky indicates to the major factors influencing the solving of the problem of gender inequality in China. Feminism in China was also generated as a result of rampant discrimination that had dominated the Chin ese society. By employing various suitable theoretical frameworks, Wesocky explores globalization, internal and environmental aspects that have been instrumental in the process of women emancipation.11  It is clear that the print media played a major role in relaying lively discourses on the ‘new women’s’ ideals. This debate continued even after the fail of each attempt to push for women’s suffrage in 1912. In any case, women were not allowed to take part in electoral processes or even vie for the political positions. The female elites saw this as a deliberate move to gag the female world in their pursuit for equality and justice.  A new peak of the women’s rights discourse was attained during one of the celebrations of the New Cultural Movement. The latter organization lasted between 1915 and 1924. On May 4th, theoretical underpinnings and shifted focuses were addressed to the issue of women’s rights.12 It is also vital to explore the pe rspectives and views presented by Chen in regard to feminism in China. For a considerable length of time, gender discrimination in terms of color, sex, race and ethnicity in society had been a major impediment towards attaining specific development goals in China.13 In 1915, the debates on the issue of the social discrimination contributed the conflicts inside of the country. The Chinese feminists stressed that the society appreciated males much higher than the females.  During the May Fourth New Cultural Movement (1915–24), debates on women’s rights reached a new peak with shifted focuses and theoretical underpinnings. For instance, motherhood was given the new scientific definition and promotion. They were completely different from the old assertions by male scholars that mothers were the foundation of any nation.14 It was claimed that the healthier progeny had to be pursued by mothers in spite of the fact that they had to be given the right to be engaged in the ro mantic relationships and the right to be the child bearers. Some of the additional rights that were agitated for by women included the right to divorce a partner, freedom of choosing a spouse, and the right for sexual intercourse. Globalization has become a key contributor to the solving of the social issues in China. Furthermore, it has opened up the possibilities for women to secure their freedoms and to be the active participants of the social life. The May Fourth period was characterized by the discourse to unearth the actual definition of ‘women’s rights’. In the early 1920s, there were several feminist organizations that had been formed in China. These organizations were keen in making sure that certain rights and freedoms were guaranteed to women. For example, matters relating to marriage and divorce were very special in these debates. The feminist movements demanded for the ability of women to choose when to get married or even to get the divorce. The nat ionwide movements also demanded for the equality in both political participation and the access to education.15 The movements were specifically interested in improving the overall well being of women in all spheres of life. When it came to political representation, feminist movements argued that women were also fit enough to stand out as nationalists. To the large extent, several feminist movements were turned into the political instruments and not just the mere pressure groups. The privileges enjoyed by men when it came to political positions were, indeed, some of the core reasons why these feminist movements fought for equal representation in politics. Chinese feminism also emerged at the time when the abilities of women were vastly used as a battle field for the reforms. During the early 20th century, the public discourse put the additional emphasis on the role of women in society and how the women could be used to propel the development. In addition, social Darwinism and evoluti onism were the key elements in the reform agenda, which was mainly pursued by the female activists. Towards the end of the Qing period, nationalism had already integrated the power of the feminist body in the fight for justice and equality. In most cases, there was the increasing expansion of the visual representation, especially using the print media. Conclusion Summing up, it is vital to reiterate that Chinese feminism during the early 20th century emerged at the time when there was mass discrimination of women in the educational, political and other social spheres of life. In particular, it is vital to underscore the historic events occurred, when China was defeated in the war with Japan, because it became apparent that the local governance systems were not viable enough. It can be recalled that the Qing codes of governance were unpopular among the general Chinese population and the first calls for reforms had been initiated long before the establishment of the feminist movements .  Many political theorists held the assumption that the western influence contributed significantly to the feminist movements in China. Taking into account that this assertion may be factual, we also need to comprehend that the neighboring Japanese state gave an impetus to reforms in China, especially when several influential travelers visited the country. These foreigners came along with clear and convincing messages of reforms that gradually transformed the face of Japan as well as the traditional instruments of governance. The autocratic Maoist regime cannot be also forgotten taking into consideration the rapid reforms that took place in China during the early 20th century. The communist ideals were not merely used to oppress the subjects. Women also found themselves in the midst of deep discrimination. For instance, their attempt to push for women suffrage had been rudely suppressed before the end of 1912. Finally, after the first and second republic as well as the May Forth era, calls for equality and basic rights for women intensified. The feminist movements agitated for freedom of choosing spouses, right to divorce, right to universal suffrage as well as right to equal and quality education. Presentation Script It is pertinent to underscore that feminism is not a new concept in the modern world bearing in mind that it has been embraced across various jurisdictions. The fight for equality and basic rights among women became rife in China during the early decades of the 20th century. In any case, the call for equality by the Chinese female elites was not an accident since the gender discrimination had long been supported by the old Chinese regimes. It should be understood that the women in China had not been provided the equal and fair rights for a long period of time. For example, it required a lot of time and efforts to promote and implement the women suffrage. The women were not constitutionally allowed to take part in the electoral processes. In ad dition, the quality of education, which women obtained, was far much below the standard compared to the education obtained by the men. The desire to fight for the rights of women did not start in China. However, the feminist movement in the country was influenced by the western feminists’ organizations, which had already taken the step ahead in relation to the gaining of the equal rights with the men. Secondly, the Chinese women were also influenced by the rapid gender reforms, which took place in Japan, especially after the visit of the country by the huge number of foreigners. They influenced the tradition and culture of China. The overseas travelers instigated a lot of reforms especially in the field of gender roles and duties. For a long time, the East Asian region had been left behind the emerging global trends. When Japan began embracing the western ideals, the Chinese elites such as professionals in various fields gave a lot of support to them. Ultimately, the authorit arian Qing codes, which were dominant before the birth of the first and second republics in China, were the major constraints on the pursuit of the gender equality in China. Bibliography Chen, Ya-chen. The many dimensions of Chinese feminism: Breaking Feminist Waves. New York, NY: Pallgrave Macmillan, 2011. Croll, Elisabeth. Feminism and Socialism in China (Routledge Revivals). Boston, USA; Routledge and Keagan Paul, 2013. Hershatter, Gail. Women in Chinas long twentieth century (Global, area, and international archive). Berkeley, LA: University of California Press, 2007. Leung, Alicia. â€Å"Feminism in transition: Chinese culture, ideology and the development of the womens movement in China†. Asia Pacific Joumal of Management 20, no.3 (2003): 359-374. Wang, Lingzhen. â€Å"Gender and sexual differences in 1980s china: introducing Li Xiaojiang.† A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 24, no. 2 (2013): 8-22. Wesocky, Sharon. Chinese feminism faces globalization., New Y ork, NY: Routledge, 2002. Zarrow, Peter. â€Å"He Zhen and Anarcho-feminism in China†. The Journal of Asian Studies  47, no. 4 (1988): 796-813. Zheng, Wang. Women in the Chinese enlightenment: oral and textual histories, Berkeley, LA: University of California Press, 2013. Zhong, Xueping. â€Å"Who is a feminist? Understanding the ambivalence towards shanghai baby, ‘body writing’ and feminism in post-women’s liberation China†. Gender History 18, no. 3 (2006): 635–660. Footnotes 1Lingzhen Wang, â€Å"Gender and sexual differences in 1980s china: introducing Li Xiaojiang,† A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies 24, no. 2 (2013): 12. 2 Elisabeth Croll, Feminism and Socialism in China (Routledge Revivals). (Boston, USA; Routledge and Keagan Paul, 2013), 84. 3 Ibid 4 Elisabeth Croll, Feminism and Socialism in China (Routledge Revivals). (Boston, USA; Routledge and Keagan Paul, 2013), 82. 5 Sharon Wesocky, Chinese feminism faces globalizat ion. (New York, NY: Routledge, 2002), 101. 6Xueping Zhong, â€Å"Who is a feminist? Understanding the ambivalence towards shanghai baby, ‘body writing’ and feminism in post-women’s liberation China†, Gender History 18 no. 3 (2006):640. 7 Elisabeth Croll, Feminism and Socialism in China (Routledge Revivals). (Boston, USA; Routledge and Keagan Paul, 2013), 83 8Peter Zarrow, â€Å"He Zhen and Anarcho-feminism in China†, The Journal of Asian Studies  47, no. 4 (1988), 798. 9 Ibid, 801 10+Gail Hershatter, Women in Chinas long twentieth century (Global, area, and international archive). (Berkeley, LA: University of California Press, 2007), 32 11 Sharon Wesocky, Chinese feminism faces globalization. (New York, NY: Routledge, 2002), 103. 12 Sharon Wesocky, Chinese feminism faces globalization. (New York, NY: Routledge, 2002), 101. 13Ya-chen Chen, The many dimensions of Chinese feminism: Breaking Feminist Waves. (New York, NY: Pallgrave Macmillan, 2011), 72 14 Ya-chen Chen, The many dimensions of Chinese feminism: Breaking Feminist Waves. (New York, NY: Pallgrave Macmillan, 2011), 73 15 Ya-chen Chen, The many dimensions of Chinese feminism: Breaking Feminist Waves. (New York, NY: Pallgrave Macmillan, 2011), 85