Confucianism And Sensation: The Choice Of Women In Ming Dynasty In The Hardship

Ming rulers attached importance to female's education. They paid attention to create and publicate female's books, made use of honor system and family clan to spread chastity concept. The concept of fealty and chastity were popularly received by people. During the middle and late Ming Dynasty, tremendous changes had happened: Chenzhu Confucianism was declined, Xinxue was rising, and the women's self-consciousness was awaked. Women showed some independence and initiative. At the same time, the "Prostitution Mores" deteriorated women's living environment. Officials forcefully possessed women without any misgiving. Parents destroyed marriage promise and forced widow remarriage just for money. The influence of prostitution and chastity varied in different regions. The "Prostitution Mores" was prevalent in the region where there was lots of Geisha Temptress, but it affected less in the region where people were deeply affected by the Neo-Confucianism. The women in the border area and minority zones were less bounded by the concept of chastity.Mature girls and married women encountered different hardship under peaceful environment. When the mature girls' family were at risk,they tried their best to save them. After their parents died.some girls committed suicide, some supported younger brother without marriage. When their parents destroyed marriage promise, they had to make difficult decision between "filial piety" and "chastity".Women's hardship mainly came from their husband. After their husband died,some committed suicide,some continued supporting parents and children. When their husband were alive.the women were mainly influenced by relatives, bad man and natural disasters. Most of them died to defend their chastity. The survival environment of female deteriorated in the war period. The captured women had tragic fate. Although they were weak, they had heroic act before rebels, for example,some sacrificed her life to save relatives, some died with her relations,some obeyed the bad men to protect her family,some died for the country, and so on.Females were deeply influenced by three important factors:Firstly, the government and officials led women to perform ethical value. The government publicized the models and developed "Honor Constitution" to guid them. Beyond this, it set up social security system to help the widow. Local officials tried their best to promote female's education. They prohibited prostitution activities, built Chastity Temple,agreed widows to keep the chastity, and so on.Secondly, literates and their works provided women different choices. Unlike officially orthodoxy education, their thoughts were diverse. They advocated personal liberation and showed carpe diem in their writings, which guided women to break the moral concept. Both gifted women and rich women pursued love boldly. The folk began to understand and support widow's remarried. They introduced morality and advocated using morality to bound sex.Thirdly, local order and customs affected women. Rural, local custom and clans were important component of local order. The clan used its regulation to encourage female's chastity activities and assist the model women,which had far-reaching impact on women. If the family had chastity vestal virgin,heroine and honor door,the women who came from that would have strong identity. The family's suitable comfort would help them give up the ider of suicide,but bad attitudes and approaches resulted them to death.The women had basic criteria for their choice: to die without offspring, to die if you are young, the old aunts die and not to die if the offspring of your aunts are alive after their husband died. Women improved afford ability after their long-term frustration. As a result, they were easier to comply with the norms of social community. "Heirs" and "age" determine whether the women take the responsibility or keep chastity.How to evaluate female's choices and activities? On the one hand, they made decisions in the difficult situation,they were deeply influenced by the chastity concept and male selfishness. In the end, what female did is what male wanted. Female didn't live for themselves. On the other band, female's activities were beyond human nature. They brave to sacrifice and dedicate to sublime the moral scope. In the society that people pursued interests and discarded the moral, prostitution Mores prevailed,some women kept chastity, some committed suicide for their husband,some lost their lives for the country, which are admirable.Women in the late Ming Dynasty were brave and great in the wntings. It was prevailed in the society that "The men surrender but the women don't yield to the enemies." In fact,a lot of women yielded to the enemies, and not every women died voluntarily. When male writers and officials recorded the history, they exaggerated chastity deeds of the women. Since different sectors of the writers held different standpoint and viewpoint on women's issues, as a result, there was a gap between writings and true history.