Five Gems in the Torrent: Historical Portrayals of Chinese Women in Sound and Religion
13 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2017 Last revised: 25 Jun 2017
Date Written: April 29, 2016
Abstract
In the long history of the patriarchal culture of China, women were consistently stigmatized as naïve. What made this situation worse was the mentality that—“a woman who lacks talent is a virtuous woman”1—a famous quote, which had became the standard to measure the qualities of a woman. This portrayal was quite permanent throughout the cultural history of China, as even today, this stereotype is still prominent in the poor, rural, and illiterate areas of China. This paper highlights in a chronological fashion the portrayal of the woman in the Chinese culture through sound, music, religion, and mythology.
Keywords: China, woman, sound, religion, Communism, Nüwa, Pangu, Mulan, Confucianism, Lao Tsu
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