New Textual Studies And Criticism Of The Ancient China Chastity View

The Chastity here, means ethic that should be abided by women in Chinese tradition. In the forepart of antiquity in China, the idea of chastity that had been advocated was progressive for establiment of patriarchal clan system, definitude of son and heir, and inheritance of belongings. After some dynasties and by the evening of Chinese feudality, however, chastity evolved into a fundamental rule only governing women, namely, a woman must be single-minded to her husband or her family, she never be deflowered when her husband is above ground, and never remarry if her man died. It is obvious that chastity is an unilateral demand for women. Furthermore, sometimes such idea was embodied in some punishment inflicted by the authority.Being involved with sex, chastity is also a sensitive theme that some researchers elude deliberately. However, in our transitional society, chastity and sex frequently touch our nerve and defy moral base line in our daily life. And whoever wants to live earnestly has to have his own consideration and annotation for such topic. And my dissertation is just one on this theme though a pilot study.Firstly, I reflect on the modern moral revolution and the criticism on chastity of progressive May 4th thinkers in this study, and then I write cordially the origin, evolvement of chastity, and as such I can comprehensively probe into social and historical basis of chastity and its current performance, anatomize its impacts on Chinese women’s life. Finally, Comparing and thinking respective chastity ideas in China and the western society, this paper digs a new coordinates for contemporary society’chastity study, and finds a little new significance for this timeless topic.