Author: admin

Imagine you are interviewed five years from now for your dream job (which likely has nothing to do with Chinese history!); the interviewer sees on your transcript you took “HST124: “Half the Sky” – Women in Chinese History”, and they ask: “Oh, what did you learn in that course?” What is your answer? Why?

I’ve actually already had this conversation with a lot of different kinds of people about this already all ready. I’m living with my grandmother this summer and had a pretty memorable interaction when I told her about this course… I was telling her about how I was wrapping up the final for this class, and upon hearing that it was a Chinese History course, her immediate response was “Are you even learning anything in that class?” (Yikes!) And I don’t know… I immediately got a kind of defensive over the course, and told her that I learned a lot this semester. She surprisingly had a lot of questions about women’s rights in China! I did my best to talk about what we learned in class about women’s liberation of the past, and the subtle (and not so subtle ways) women stood up for themselves. The reading journals kind of help me remember a whole lot- so good thing I had that refresher on our material! I explained that this course was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I’m proud of myself for giving it my all. My boss at the job I’m working at this summer has been really curious about my final project, he keeps asking me about it almost everyday (Probably cause he’s seen me so stressed out about it, Oops). I’ve had a lot of fun telling him about what I’ve learned about Chinese Opera, and updates on how my project is coming along. So I’m excited to tell him today that it’s officially turned in! So to answer the original prompt, I think I would tell my future interviewer something similar to the conversations I’ve already had with other people… That I spent this semester learning about the lives of so many extraordinary women in Chinese History. I’m walking away from this course knowing SO much more than when I started, and have been throughly introduced to a field of study that’s completely new to me.

How has the anthropology perspective in ATH273 helped you see the history of Chinese women in a more complex way? And/Or how has the history course HST123 brought additional depth to the study of contemporary society and practices in ATH 273? In other words: did you earn the IL designation?

I touched upon this in my previous reflection and last 5-15 report, but being able to take this history course with an anthropology course helped me better understand the material in both classes. Dr. Miller’s overview of marriage practices, family systems, and overall cultural teachings of Chinese society helped me better understand the context of our historical lessons and individual accounts of Chinese women of the past. If I didn’t have that other half of information, I think I would’ve had some difficultly understanding the cultural background that these historical women came from and were trying to change. I said this in my last reflection, but it feels important to call attention to it again, without learning the cultural side of things, I would’ve been applying my own western values, instead of trying to understand where these women were coming from. I’m not too familiar with China as a whole, so these two classes helped me better understand a culture and history that was very very new to me!

I believe I earned my IL credit because throughout this semester I worked to make connections between the two courses, and was able to further my education on the study of China.

Thank you for a fun semester full of learning!

Looking at the Tale of The White Snake: A Brief History of Chinese Opera

by Sophia Pettine 

Google Drive Link To Video: (File Was Too Big)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pwR7b3I44dVYyxfvbxqT8Gf4qC51iSpF?usp=sharing

SOURCES

Association for Asian Studies. “A Brief Introduction to Beijing Opera.” Accessed May 25, 2022. https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/a- brief-introduction-to-beijing-opera/.

Bonds, Alexandra B. Beijing Opera Costumes: The Visual Communication of Character and Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2008. http:// muse.jhu.edu/book/8191.

Cote, Jennifer. “The White Snake,” February 16, 2020. https:// open.muhlenberg.pub/chinasmagicalcreatures/chapter/the-white-snake/.

Jiang, Jin. Women Playing Men: Yue Opera and Social Change in Twentieth- Century Shanghai. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2009. http:// muse.jhu.edu/book/11334.

Li, Siu Leung. Cross-Dressing in Chinese Opera. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, HKU, 2003. http://muse.jhu.edu/book/5576.

Lovrick, Peter, Wang-Ngai Siu, and Wang Siu. Chinese Opera: Images and Stories. Vancouver, CANADA: UBC Press, 1997. http:// ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/muhlenberg/detail.action?docID=3412537.

Nikhi Chau. “The Tale of the White Snake” (⽩白蛇传) 1/2 [English Subtitles], 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIB0N6ZkoGI.

———. “The Tale of the White Snake” (⽩白蛇传) 2/2 [English Subtitles], 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDO-PbJaOSs.

“Project MUSE – Beijing Opera Costumes.” Accessed May 25, 2022. https:// muse-jhu-edu.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/book/8191.

Tone, Sixth. “What Chinese Opera Can Teach Us About Gender.” #SixthTone, August 29, 2018. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1002838/ https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sixthtone.com%2Fnews%2F1002838%2Fwhat- chinese-opera-can-teach-us-about-gender.

Wang-Ngai, Siu, and Peter Lovrick. Chinese Opera: The Actor’s Craft. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, HKU, 2014. http://muse.jhu.edu/book/ 30576.

Soph from the future 5/22/22

READINGS: Hong Fincher, Leta. Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China. London: Verso, 2018.

• What is the main point the author tries to make?

The Chinese Government, led by Xi Jinping, has made an enemy out of activist groups and individuals. China is enacting violence on women’s freedom of choice to uphold the patriarchal systems that depends on the control of a women’s body. Leta Hong Fincher is trying to explain the MANY reasons why present-day Chinese feminists must keep fighting for women’s rights.

• What has changed for women in China? Has anything changed?

While there has been some change for women, specifically in marriage laws, China is still very much in control of a women’s reproductive rights. The one-child and two-child policy, for example. Also the fines and punishments for women who want to have a child without being married, or choose to not have children at all. This government and societal pressure to conform and conceive is even harder for Chinese Women who are queer or of different ethnic groups. The fight has just begun…

Quoting the text, “So many people used to think that feminism was unnecessary because the Communist revolution established equality between women and men…But more people today see that, actually, we have a lot more work to do to improve women’s rights.”

• Is the story of women in China a story of progress?

From the outside looking in, I’d say there’s progress… there’s still A LONG way to go, but it’s progress nonetheless. There seems to be a growing restlessness among young people, and more people are becoming inclined to stand up to defend their bodily rights and freedoms…

“As feminist activists continue to disrupt the patriarchal, authoritarian order, the government will likely find new ways to persecute them. Yet growing numbers of Chinese women now recognize that they deserve to be treated with dignity and are pushing back against gender discrimination, sexual violence and misogyny. They are seizing control of their own reproduction, threatening the population-planning goals that are central to the Chinese Communist Party’s strategy for surviving beyond the Soviet Union’s seven-decade run. Even if all the feminist activists in China are arrested or otherwise silenced, the forces of resistance they have unleashed will be extremely difficult to stamp out “

• How do the topics we have covered in this course help you understand better the situation of women in present-day China?

Looking at our study of Chinese History, we’ve learned that women have always been fighting back against the systems put in place to control them. Sometimes working within the systems themselves and becoming leaders, like Fu Hao or Empress Wu. Or, climbing up the social ranks like the concubine women who used their artistic skills to reclaim their power. We also learned that some women rebelled more subtly through Nüshu script… Or VERY loudly through women’s liberation movements during Maoist Era China.

There’s been a constant theme of unrest and rebellion all this time. But, what we’re seeing now, as argued by Hong, is a united front AGAINST the Chinese patriarchy. A fired up group of feminists (many being men) who are determined to dismantle these corrupt systems of power once and for all.

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TO DO LIST

• Reflection #3
• Final Project

*I’m going to write my third reflection later in the week, once I have more of my final project done. Ideally, I’m going to hand in the reflection at the same time I hand in my final project (:

TADA LIST

*ALL 5-15 REPORTS UP TO DATE*

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*
• Week 12 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2
• Week 13 5-15 Report
• Week 14 5-15 Report
• Week 15 5-15 Report

Soph from the future (5/22/22)

READINGS: Hershatter, Gail. “4. Activist.” In The Gender of Memory: Rural Women and China’s Collective Past. Asia Pacific Modern, 8. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011.

• Questions: what power do these women activists have? What changes? What remains the same? Is this progress?

Marriage freedom activists of the 1950s, such as Feng Gaixia, set the groundwork for future fairer marriage practices in China. Fighting against harsh backlash from family and local communities, these women activists found power through education, self expression through the arts, and support from other women. Women taught themselves to read and write through winter classes, and worked hard to get other women to join the movement. Through theatre arts, specifically Chinese Opera (well hello there) women were able to preform stories of the revolution on stage, and find ways to empower themselves and others through storytelling. There’s an emphasis on the power of song throughout the article we read- the lyrics of these chants giving women a unified war cry of freedom.

This collective passion brought change in how it challenged traditional ideas around marriage and forever changed the public’s thoughts on the subject. While the movement wasn’t able to achieve complete equality and freedom in marriage, women activists of the past were some of the first to stand up and challenge tradition. They took the brunt of the cultural backlash, sacrificing their relationships with family and communities in the name of freedom. From the text, “And the Marriage Law campaigns, brief and limited though they were, did have a certain penumbra effect. Young women who had no specific memories of the campaigns nevertheless picked up the ambient notion that they should have some say in partner choice.”

And yes… I’d say it’s progress. It’s messy and unfinished, but it’s definitely progress. It shook up things a bit and started a greater, overall conversation!

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TO DO LIST

• Week 15 5-15 Report
• Reflection #3
• Final Project

TADA LIST

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*
• Week 12 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2
• Week 13 5-15 Report
• Week 14 5-15 Report

Soph from the future- Made 5/20/22

READING: Liu, Fei-Wen. “From Being to Becoming: Nüshu and Sentiments in a Chinese Rural Community.” American Ethnologist 31, no. 3 (2004): 422-39.

• Questions to bear in mind: How does the women’s writing and singing (nüshu, nüge) differ from writings produced by men? What role do these forms of “knowing” and “sentiment” play in the world of these women? Try the 3-sentence summary: What is the author’s message for the reader?

Through Nüshu writings, women are able to reclaim their voice, feelings, and privacy. This writing style went unnoticed by the men around them, ignored simply for being women’s work. Through this neglect, a secret script was able to form that was passed down from generation to generation of Jiangyong women. A main difference between nüshu and nanshu (or mans writing) was it’s connections to song- the text only made sense when chanted in that regions dialect. In addition to song, the script was interwoven (pun intended) into the act of folk art and other crafts that were associated with women’s work. These writings were intended to be private or shared in inner circles, allowing women a platform to express the emotions they were pressured to hide. The sentiment of these writings is what gives the text it’s strength- to quote the Liu, ” In Jiangyong, sentiment was not merely a carrier of nushu women’s worldview or an embodiment of their existence as isolated and powerless beings in a Confucian – androcentric agrarian community. More importantly, it functioned as an energy flow that prompted inspiration and engagement-which these women needed to offset and transform their isolation and powerlessness.”

Three Sentence Summary: Liu explores the history Nüshu, a secret script used by the women of Jiangyong. While ignored by men, this script allowed these unheard women to express emotions safely and connect with each other of a deeper, more interpersonal level, that was untouched by the male eye. This is arguably the core of Nüshu, and its importance in empowering generations of Jiangyong women.

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TO DO LIST

• Week 14 5-15 Report
• Week 15 5-15 Report
• Reflection #3
• Final Project

TADA LIST

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*
• Week 12 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2
• Week 13 5-15 Report

Soph from the future (5/20/22)

When I look back at the start of the semester, and what I felt, knew and did then, and I compare to what I know, feel and do now in this course, I think I’ve made progress at better understanding how I work as a student. I think I made the most of this semester, and really challenged myself by taking a course that was out of my comfort zone. The study of China was something I had never really done before, and being able to take this course and Dr. Miller’s course gave me a really in depth introduction to the topic. Being able to look at China from both an anthropologic and historical perspective was fascinating- the two courses complemented each other nicely. Specifically, the cultural understanding and analysis of Chinese society (i.e. marriage practices, gender roles, birthing traditions, and just the day-to-day life of everyday people) helped me make more sense of the context of historical texts we read. Knowing what the lives and societal standards of the women we studied, I can better understand the context in which they chose to navigate it. It should also be said that without this anthropologic viewpoint, I also would have been more inclined to apply my own Western views onto the experiences of the women we learned about.

Speaking to the exam-less format of the course, I think I faltered a bit without having that built in structure. Looking back on this semester, I wish I was more up to the challenge from the get-go… that’s on me though, not at all suggesting it’s a fault of the course. I’m not very good at self motivation + (YAY) thank you ADHD for making my brain an absolute hellscape. So having tests that are high stakes throughout the semester forces me to hold myself accountable. I also like how tests are something I can study for and be able to focus on applying the material in chunks… if that makes any sense. I feel like the way my brain works makes absolute 0 sense sometimes. All that being said, I completely understand the benefits of having no exams- it makes the course focused more on just learning the material to simply learn and appreciate the subject matter. It encourages the student to set their own goals and make the most out of the course as they see fit. In a college setting, I think this is arguably an ideal way to learn. However, speaking from my own experience, it’s a lot to adjust to. While there’s been a lot of ups and down, I’m looking forward to doing my best to finish out the rest of the course work these next couple of days. I hope to take the extra time I’ve been granted to really hunker down with the remaining texts and finish strong. My goals are to finish my 5-15 reports by tonight, and move onto tackling my final project.

Speaking about my final project, what I REALLY need to do now is start taking my ideas and just putting them into a video format. I’m shooting for a 15-20 minute video essay. This weekend will be SHOWTIME! I’m excited and looking forward to presenting my findings on gender performance in Chinese Opera.

TO DO LIST

• Week 13 5-15 Report
• Week 14 5-15 Report
• Week 15 5-15 Report
• Reflection #3
• Final Project

TADA LIST

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*
• Week 12 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2

Soph from the future- Made 5/19/22

READINGS:

Autumn Gem. Produced by Adam Tow. Directed by Kanopy (Firm). Adam Tow, 2009.

“The Beheaded Feminist: Qiu Jin”. In The Red Brush: Writing Women of Imperial China. Edited by Wilt Idema and Beata Grant, 767-808. Harvard East Asian Monographs, 231. Cambridge: Harvard University Asia Center, 2004.

• Questions: How are Qiu Jin’s writings different from what we’ve seen before writting by, or for women? And do you see similarities? (Draw on your knowledge from your portfolio work, too, if you notice continuities and change from previous eras.)

In Qiu Jin’s writings, she works to oppose the ways in which women are expected to behave in traditional China. She invites the audience member directly, Chinese women, to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights to have freedom over their bodies and mind. Qiu Jin focuses her address on topics such as bound feet, unfair marriage practices, and women’s access to education. Looking back at previous readings, the tone of Qiu Jin is in direct opposition to the argument of Pan Chao’s Rules for Women. This Han Dynasty era text was written by a women for women, creating a set of rules for them to follow and uphold themselves too. She advised women that they were inherently less intelligent than a man, and should remain docile and dutiful to her husband. Pan Chao’s beliefs aligned with Confucius ideals of women acting as subservient to women- a traditional custom that Qiu Jin was working to dismantle through her writing.

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TO DO LIST

• Week 13 5-15 Report
• Week 14 5-15 Report
• Week 15 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2
• Reflection #3
• Final Project

TADA LIST

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*
• Week 12 5-15 Report

Soph from the future- Made 5/19/22

READINGS:

“The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine“. In Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture: Writings from the Pre-Qin Period through the Song Dynasty, edited by Robin Wang, 121-129. Indianapolis: Hackett Pub, 2003.

• Questions: If you make a list of the yin and yang associations, what general tendencies come through? Which associations are surprising to you, coming from a modern (and likely American?) culture?

Yin: Female, Earth, Darkness, Recklessness, Turmoil, Destruction, Gives shape to things, Moon

Yang: Male, Heaven, Light, Peace, Serenity, Conservation , Causes Evaporation, Sun

According to this reading, throughout all known things there seems to be a direct association with either Yin or Yang. Yin, the feminine, is aligned with destruction, death, and recklessness. I find this really surprising due to what we’ve learned so far of the expectations of women in Chinese society to be quiet and obedient. I feel like the qualities of Yin go against this. Also, this association with death and more violent things feels more aligned with ideas of masculinity… I do understand that in everyone and everything, there is both Yin and Yang- but still, It’s all very interesting to look at this word association!

This also makes me wonder what doctors who practiced Chinese Medicine thought of women who broke these standards, like Empress Wu or Fu Hao, what did their Yin and Yang balance look like?

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Furth, Charlotte. A Flourishing Yin: Gender in China’s Medical History, 960-1665. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999.

• Questions to focus on: How you do see gender (male/female) coming into play in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases? How do traditional gender relations in society shape the medical profession? Do you see connections with the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine in the way Cheng practices medicine?

Chen Maoxian’s recorded practice show how heavily gendered Chinese medicine is. In the treatment of women, it’s common for a man to supervise and for the doctor to talk to the woman through. This is not only a huge issue of privacy, but also dehumanizes the patient and gives her less autonomy of her body. Speaking of privacy, one of the few ways a woman is able to have some control is by choosing what information she withholds from the doctor… however, this can cause diagnosing the patient to be more difficult.

Speaking to the connection to Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, there are several instances throughout Chen Maoxian’s findings where he references, and utilizes, ideas found in Chinese medicine. Specifically when he uses the four methods of diagnosis- looking, asking, listening and smelling, and touching (pulse taking- these techniques are built upon analyzing the characteristics of an unbalanced Yin and Yang.

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TO DO LIST

• Week 12 5-15 Report
• Week 13 5-15 Report
• Week 14 5-15 Report
• Week 15 5-15 Report
• Reflection #2
• Reflection #3
• Final Project

TADA LIST

• Week 10 5-15 Report
  • *SKIPPED OPTIONAL WEEK 11 5-15 REPORT*

(3/31/22)

My Theme: Comparing the stories of Historic Women in Chinese history vs. how they’re portrayed in Chinese Opera. Answering the general question: How is gendered preformed in the Dan (more specifically, Daomadan) archetype? What does it mean to tell these women’s stories today?

Format: Video Essay. I want to evenly discuss all the women I’m focusing on- How long should it be?

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TO DO:

• KEEP DOING RESEARCH
• Write my script
• Record script
  • Collect media, Start editing over audio

TA DA:

• Chose a Theme and Format
• Started Preliminary Research on Chinese Opera

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Historic women I’ll be focusing on:

Mu Guiying 

Shangguan Wan’er 

Fu Hao 

Xun Guan 

More Research:

Women Playing Men: Yue Opera and Social Change in Twentieth-Century Shanghai

https://muse-jhu-edu.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/book/11334

Cross-Dressing In Chinese Opera (E-Book) 

https://muse-jhu-edu.muhlenberg.idm.oclc.org/book/5576

General Research:

I think I want to do my video in the style of a Crash Course Video

Article: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1002838/what-chinese-opera-can-teach-us-about-gender

Soph from the future (3/23/01)- original due date (2/25/01)… funny how times flies… anyways, let’s do this!

In the next couple of weeks- my catchphrase is going to be “Finish Strong”. I only have so much time left to catch myself up to speed and create a final portfolio I can be proud of. Looking back on this past semester, I feel like there’s a lot I need to do in order to get to the place I know I should be at… which is something I’ve been saying for a WHILE now. It feels like sometimes I spend more time saying I’m going to do something rather than actually doing it… funny how that works out. Despite this unfortunate character flaw, I’ve been doing the readings and participating in class (I’ve even been able to make some new friends!) However, when it comes to taking proper notes and preparing for my portfolio projects, I still have a lot of work to do. Instead of beating myself up over not putting the work in before, I’m going to shift gears and put the work in now. So… Let’s go!

First of all, how can I improve? I think rethinking how I tackle academic texts is the very first step. With a class that’s so centered around reading, I need to make sure I’m taking the proper time with not only the assigned material, but my own outside research. This starts with NOTE TAKING! The way I take notes is just… really bad. I take quotes by only highlighting the text (horrible, right?). What I really need to be doing is trying to restate the text, ask questions, and focus on making connections to other topics throughout this semester. As I’m writing this response- I’m holding myself to a challenge. I’m going to try to “think like a historian” on our next assigned reading. According to the course schedule that would be Charlotte Furth’s A Flourishing Yin: Gender in China’s Medical History. So, I’ll let you know how that goes in my next 5-15 report.

With that squared away, I now need to address the NEXT high priority thing on my To Do list… the portfolio project. After spending way too much time overthinking my thesis, I’ve decided to finally put my foot down and choose a topic. I’m going to look at how Chinese women, specifically historical figures, are depicted in Chinese Opera. I want to compare how these women are depicted in historical texts vs on stage, and what it means to tell these stories today. The readings that inspired this idea were “Mulan’s Legend and Legacy in the United States” by Lan Dong & “The Red Brush, Writing Women of Imperial China” by Wilt Idema and Beata Grant. My project will be in the format of a video report. This would include a script and finding texts/clips/photos/making my own graphics. My only question is… are there any recommended places to watch recordings of Chinese Operas? I was able to find more pirated recordings on youtube and facebook, but if there are any better places to check out, I’d be grateful for a shove in the right direction.

All that being said, what’s left to do now is the work. Here we go!