The Research On The Female Images In Public Space Of Chang’an Of The Tang Dynasty

Chang’an City, the Capital of Tang Dynasty, built on the basis of Daxing in Sui, is the political, military and cultural center of Tang. Through analyzing the female images in public space of Chang’ an, we can have an opportunity to learn about the Tang society well. According to different natures, the public space in Chang’an can be divided into traffic, commercial, scenic and religious district, and each district has its own function, sometimes with other use. Thus, the female images in the public space present us with the characteristics of unity as well as diversity, which fully reflect the rich and colorful social life of the female in Chang’an, Tang Dynasty. Among these spaces, female in the traffic district are mostly pedestrians. Besides, there are many female street-performers and participants of recreational activities. And female group in commercial space can be divided into proprietors, waitresses, and customers. Female in scenic spots are tourists and their maids, singers and dancers who accompany literati to attend banquets. Buddhist nuns and Taoist nuns in the temple for practice are the main female group in religious district. Moreover, there are some prostitutes who are in name of Taoist nuns. Maidservants, female religious participants, performers and audience are also the images. There were not many female activities in public space of Chang’an in Tang Dynasty, with dependent feature, and the female image presented a trend of serious ambiguity and marginalization. As for the reason, the open social atmosphere, economic development, change of urban structure and attitudes towards female account for this phenomenon.