Tutor in a women's academy: The culture of talented women during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties

Author: (American) Gao Yanyi, translated by Li Zhisheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The main purpose of this book is to rewrite the narrative of traditional women's history from the May Fourth perspective. The profound socio-economic and cultural transformations during the late Ming and early Qing periods fostered the flourishing of "talented women culture." Among these, the rise of commercial printing, the emergence of a broad readership, a renewed focus on emotions, the increased visibility of courtesan culture, the promotion of women's education, the expansion of opportunities for women to travel, and the redefinition of female characteristics stand out. Therefore, this book argues that the Jiangnan ladies of the late Ming and early Qing were far from being oppressed and voiceless. Within the male-dominated Confucian system, these women created a rich and meaningful cultural way of life. Through the intersection of Confucian idealized theory, lived practices, and female perspectives, the author reconstructs the social, emotional, and intellectual worlds of these women, offering a new lens through which to examine women's lives. This book proposes a new method for studying history—one that begins with a concrete understanding of how women lived.
Author Bio: Gao Yanyi (Dorothy Ko) received her B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in East Asian History from the same institution, specializing in the social history of the Ming and Qing dynasties and comparative women's history. She has taught at the University of California, San Diego, and at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Currently, she is a professor in the Department of History at Barnard College, Columbia University. Her recent works include Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for Bound Feet (University of California Press, 2001) and Cinderella's Sisters: A Revisionist History of Footbinding (University of California Press, 2005).