What was womens roles and their place in society during the Tang Period in China The Emperors Pearl, by Robert Gulik - Essay Example

In “The Emperor’s Pearl,” by Robert Gulik, there is an understanding of gender identity and how this marginalizes women in society. The role of women is one which ranges from subordination to men to worship of women because of the religious associations. The dichotomy of gender roles then becomes a part of the Tang Dynasty and the way in which women were looked at during the time frame. The concepts which are portrayed in the book show how women in society were looked at through the patriarchal format of culture, specifically with their roles in society. However, this was followed with the Confucius thoughts that began to alter the beliefs and thoughts of gender to create the dichotomy of the book. The role of women and gender roles was one which was regarded through the traditions and expectations in the book. The traditions are required to be observed, specifically which is noted with men who take care of business and meet together while women remain in the background, as maids or absent from the book. Characters such as Kou show this with their approaches to tradition and the placement of women. “A pleased smile crossed Kou’s handsome, vivacious face. He said: ‘I take part in the races mainly to see to it that the old traditions are faithfully observed” (Gulik, 14). ...
However, there is also a sense of strength that the women carry with beauty and which is noted with the sports and activities that the women are a part of. When looking at the roles of women in the Tang Dynasty, it becomes linked to sports and activities, such as wrestling, that is created through the dynasty. For instance, when Kau is talking about the women wrestlers, there is a combination with the strength of the women with the feminine ideal. The woman who describes the wrestlers shows the strength of those that were invited to royalty; however, she also states that the women are “modest” (Gulik, 91) with the clothing which was worn. The dichotomy comes with the wrestlers being thrown out for being indecent, specifically by the standards of beauty from the women. This dichotomy shows both sides of feminism that was in the court at the time and how this was approached by others in society. The role of women and gender roles was furthered with the changes which occurred outside of the main tradition of the time. This created the main dichotomy that mixed into the ideologies of the time. The role of women and gender roles changed specifically because of the traditions which were juxtaposed with the Empress that formed the Tang Dynasty. This gave women a specialized role in the culture, specifically which was based on social status. This was combined with the Buddhist and Confucious roles, which continued with the traditions of gender roles and the responsibility which both had to caring for others in society. This alternative set of gender roles led to the Tang Period holding women in high regard while keeping social status within a patriarchal system (Ebrey, 130). The regard which was shown to Read More