Women in China Were Not Weak

For centuries, women in China have been considered almost 2^nd class citizens. They are required to serve their husbands and they are valued for their perceived “weakness, reticence, and delicacy”(pg 371), however I argue that women, at all stages throughout China’s history (and throughout history all together), were much less weak and delicate as men thought them to be.

                Chapter 8 talks about a common practice during the Song Dynasty that I feel shows how strong, women were: foot binding. To me, foot binding is a severe form of mutilation that was widely accepted by both men and women in China. It entails wrapping of one’s feet so tightly that the bones in each foot are broken. It would start when the child was young, and just as the foot begins to heal, the foot would be rewrapped and the bones broken again. This began in the 10^th or 11^th century and included only dancers or courtesans, but later this practice occurred among the elite and wealthier of families. Small features such as body and feet were considered desirable, so for women to compete for a (wealthy) man’s attention and keep him from staying to these courtesans, she would accept feet binding as a way to keep her husband faithful.

                As young girls, they probably did not understand the ‘why’ of this practice and most likely didn’t like it. But as they grew up and were taught to believe that they need a husband and this is how they would find him, they learned to accept it. As these women became mothers, they find they want a better life for their children then they received, (While a mother myself and feeling this way, I am assuming this from the text) having a wealthier and more prosperous man will get them that life, so they continue the practice of foot binding. These women truly feel it’s the best thing for their young girls.

                I would say that this is a very large price to pay for a husband. Foot binding induced unnecessary pain – you can’t say women are weak if they are able and willing to endure this sort of torture and pain. Also, I can’t agree that feet of a bounded woman are delicate; they are abused and tough. They have lived through torture and the women know they will see torture again in this form – if this isn’t the sign of a tough woman, what is?