Inner Court / Overseas Chinese Studies Series: Marriage and Women's Life in the Song Dynasty

Author: Evelyn S. Rawski
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Overseas Chinese Studies Series · Women's Series. This book examines the Song Dynasty, an era of great complexity and transformation. On one hand, foot-binding began to flourish, and scholars advocated the saying, "Dying is a small matter, losing one's integrity is a great matter." On the other hand, we encounter a completely different impression; women's rights in marriage and property were further protected. In this pioneering work of overseas Chinese women's history research, the author presents us with a richly detailed picture, bringing to life the lives of Song Dynasty women before our eyes: the distinction between inner and outer life, sacrificial ceremonies, arranging marriages, serving in-laws, raising children, rivalries within the inner quarters, and remarriage after widowhood, all of which demonstrate that women's history is a dynamic history, full of multiple possibilities. Through this, readers not only gain a multi-faceted and multi-leveled understanding of the portraits of Song Dynasty women but also grasp their choices and intelligence within social changes.