History Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History - Term Paper Example New Confucianism became the dominant political ideology for nearly 1,000 years to come. In fact, the rise of money economy along with new systems of landholding and taxation that took over in the middle of the Song Dynasty changed the Chinese economy throughout its history† (232). During the Song Dynasty, â€Å"the severe restrictions on women began to appear, and with the rise of Neo-Confucianism, women’s roles began to diminish and to receive strict definition. The boundary of activities for women revolved merely within the family’s needs† (Tierney, 232). II. Discussion â€Å"The feudal China made women more submissive to men† (Fan, 196). It was during this time women stayed at home, took care of the household chores, bear children, reared and nurtured them. â€Å"This became the most significant role of women who were merely associated as men’s attachments, slaves and possessions† (Fan, 196). â€Å"Footbinding became the ultimate to ol to deny women the physical expression of freedom† (Fan, 196). It became a symbol of oppression as women because victims of physical and psychological abuses. â€Å"More often than not, a woman accepted her own physical castration and acknowledged herself as inferior and accepted the negative roles of femininity. Footbinding was therefore the pre-eminent symbol of sexual oppression† (Fan, 196). The late nineteenth century was the period when anti-footbinding campaigns began in China. It was during the visit of Helen Snow to Yan’an in 1939 when she noticed that most of the women in that area, including peasants had bound feet. It was during this time when equality between men and women was declared by women’s associations. The rationale behind the practice of foot-binding among Chinese women is that â€Å"it marked the beginning of the womanhood of a young girl† (Rosanlee, 143). It became a family affair and not just a private occasion as the mothe r of the young girl sought the â€Å"divine blessings prior to the commencement of footbinding† (Rosanlee, 143). It became a part of the family’s heritage, as the â€Å"technique of footbinding varied not just from different regions, but from different families as well, and was sort of knowledge and work that was passed on from mothers to daughters and from aunts to nieces† (Rosanlee, 143). â€Å"Correct attire was a sign of civility of Wen, the woman’s needlework and artifacts, whose meaning encompasses not only literary patterns of artifacts and clothing† (Rosanlee, 144). In the seventeenth century, â€Å"footbinding in China was regarded as: First: an expression of Chinese wen civility; Second: a marker of ethnic boundaries separating the Han from the Manchu; and Third: an ornament of the body that is the correct concealment of the female body† (Rosanlee, 144). III. Conclusion Chiu Chin became a symbol of freedom and liberation among Chin ese women. â€Å"Towards the end of her short life, she became one of the most passionate and influential among revolutionaries and was beheaded by the still-ruling Manchus when she was only 31 years of age. Before her death, she fought valiantly for the rights of the women, the poor and the oppressed†