The Chinese Woman In the 20th Century: Three Chapters

Unfortunately, their movement failed; but it had planted the seeds of new thinking. The Empress Dowager finally ordered the abolishment of foot-binding in 1902 and in 1907 proclaimed a course of study for women--although actually merely an extension of the traditional moral training in docility and obedience which had been inculcated in women for millennia. The moves were scarcely enough to satisfy the aspirations of women who had been awakened to the idea of equality; and it was these women who took part in the Revolution, writing a new chapter for the history of Chinese women.

Records show that over 200 women took direct part in the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 and the various military actions that preceded it. Their work included propaganda, liaison, fund raising, cover-up, assassination, transportation, and medical work. Many also took up arms as women soldiers in women's revolutionary brigades and stormed the barricades.

When the fighting was over, women went on to participate politically. Women who had fought for the Revolution, like T'ang Ch'un-ying, felt that once it had succeeded, 2,000 years of injustice could be swept away at a single stroke. So when she learned that the new laws proposed by the legislature in Nanking failed to include a provision on equality of the sexes, T'ang Ch'un-ying and 20-some other women petitioned the government for reconsideration. And when the laws were promulgated in March 1912, still without the provision, the women burst into the legislature, breaking glass and kicking guards, and attacking the astonished lawmakers. Finally, under the mediation of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the legislature passed an amendment to still the clamor. After Yuan Shih- k'ai took power, however, and the nation was divided by warlords, women's political activities subsided, not resurging again until the May Fourth Movement of 1919.

While the women's tussle with the lawmakers has been criticized by historians as "shallow, facile, and incomplete," it did prove one thing: Chinese women were no longer as docile as before!

New-Style Women and Old-Fashioned Ladies

Foot-binding had been prohibited and women's education under implementation for several years by the time of the May Fourth Movement. By 1916, in fact, 165,000 women had already received primary school educations, and in 1919 women were admitted to the national universities. In 1924 a law was passed clearly stipulating the principle of equality between the sexes legally, economically, and educationally.

The May Fourth Movement brought with it a flood of new ideas, including the Western concept of women's emancipation and the free thinking of Ibsen's plays. Liu P'an-nung, Chou Tso-jen, Hu Shih, and other thinkers wrote essays advocating the concept of the "new woman."

Legally, educationally, and in the thinking of the times it would seem that women had opened up new horizons, but in actuality their lives were caught in a difficult bind.

Women could go out on their own, but in so doing they faced a road full of obstacles and had to bear a double load. Marriage was particularly problematical.

An educated young woman exposed to the new thinking would no longer be willing to acquiesce to a marriage arranged by her parents. Yet the free love espoused at the time was actually not free at all. If a woman student were seen frequently in the company of a male classmate, it was assumed by all that they would eventually marry. If they were to break up, the woman would be scorned by those of the old school of thinking and shunned by those of the new.

Parents faced the dilemma of whether or not to send their daughters to school. If they went, might they not have too high standards and be difficult to find a partner for? And what if they were taken advantage of in love? But was it really better to be uneducated without any schooling at all? Most parents ended up allowing their daughters to study till junior high school or teacher's college but not any higher.

In sum, after the success of the Northern Expedition of 1928, while men and women were virtually equal, except for military service, in their legal and social rights and obligations, in actuality most people's concepts were firmly rooted in the past.

When the War of Resistance against Japan began in 1937, women from all walks of life--urban intellectuals, conservative young ladies from old-fashioned families, and girls from the countryside-- went to the battlefields, factories, and hospitals to work in the war effort. In this way, the new thinking moved quickly throughout society, marking another turning point in the history of Chinese women.

Who Says I've Got It So Good?

On Taiwan during the Japanese occupation, many restrictions were placed on women's education. After Retrocession, these restrictions were eliminated, but many families, because of economic constraints, chose to give educational opportunities to sons at the expense of daughters.

Smaller families and vastly improved economic conditions are making things much easier for the current generation of female students. In 1951, only 0.4 percent of the female population over the age of 15 had received a college education. By 1983 the figure had grown to 7.8 percent.

Educational progress has led to great changes in the place of women in the work force. The number of women engaged in white-collar work surpassed those in blue collar work in 1982, and women are now found in all the careers and professions.

With these changes, the legal status of women has received wide-spread concern. A 1985 revision of civil law gave the wife ownership over joint property registered in her name and allowed children to assume their mother's surname. The Eugenic Protection Law, passed in 1984, legalized abortion under certain conditions.

Politically, women candidates for public office are more and more visible. In 1986, women were elected as chief of Kaohsiung Hsien and as mayor of Chiayi.

In general, women on Taiwan today enjoy an equal opportunity to compete with men, but woman's consciousness is not well advanced. There is no highly visible women's movement on Taiwan, and most advocates of woman's rights take a moderate approach, expressing their views through articles in women's magazines.

Besides this, women's studies have received attention academically with the establishment last March of the Women's Studies Program at National Taiwan University.

The role of the contemporary woman has extended from a good wife and mother in the family to an important and multifaceted member of society. At the same time, woman have learned to develop such traditionally "male" qualities as independence, decisiveness, drive, and ambition. In fact, Li Mei-chi, a professor of psychology at National Chengchi University, says that as society changes, it will be women with just this kind of "ambisexual" personality who will succeed.

Independent, decisive, and energetic in their careers, and in personal relationships caring, understanding, and tolerant--people combining these traits, be they women or men, will adapt best to the changing society of the future.

With the traditional roles of the sexes rapidly changing, it is clear that women's self-awareness requires the cooperation of men, and that self-awareness of both sexes is needed for mankind to progress.

". . . This Revolution is an achievement of women as well. . . Men and women should now work together with one heart, devoting their all to the formation of a great Republic of China." These are the words of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Read today, they take on new meaning and supply food for thought. With three fourths of a century gone by, "the Revolution has still not been accomplished; we must still continue to strive."

[Picture Caption]

Tiny bound feet and closely combed hair. . . can you see the tears behind the eyes? (courtesy Hsiung Shih Art Monthly)

This class for girls is from the period of Taiwan's occupation by the Japanese.

(courtesy Council for Cultural Planning & Development)

Ch'iu Chin was an early activist in the women's movement as well as a revolutionary.

(courtesy Modern China Press)

During the War of Resistance, many women performed medical work at the front. (courtesy Modern China Press)

The previous generation of women mostly played the roles of house wife and mother. (movie still)

Will this generation of college women still play a dual role combining the traditional and the contemporary?

Woman today no longer equate beauty with being fragile and irresolute.

Women legislators are not just working for women's rights but for the welfare of both sexes. (photo by Chen Ming-cheng)

Sharing housework and parental responsibilities is an imperative for today's family.

This class for girls is from the period of Taiwan's occupation by the Japanese.

Ch'iu Chin was an early activist in the women's movement as well as a revolutionary.

During the War of Resistance, many women performed medical work at the front. （courtesy Modern China Press）

The previous generation of women mostly played the roles of house wife and mother. （movie still）

Will this generation of college women still play a dual role combining the traditional and the contemporary?

Woman today no longer equate beauty with being fragile and irresolute.

Women legislators are not just working for women's rights but for the welfare of both sexes. （photo by Chen Ming-cheng）

Sharing housework and parental responsibilities is an imperative for today's family.