the Spirit of the Chinese people

小瓜茵

Reader:郭佳茵
Reading Time:week8-9
Reading Task:The Chinese Women
Summary of the Content: due to the limitation of time, perhaps I couldn’t finish the reading of the whole book. But in my point of view, the part—The Chinese Women better represent the core and style so I chose to read this part.
Ku Hungming came to the discussion on Chinese women. He believed that a true Chinese woman has no self, that is, Chinese women are "selfless", and used this to defend the custom of taking concubines among Chinese people. He particularly admires the traditional Chinese "Three Obediences and Four Virtues", believing that the main goal of Chinese women is to be a good daughter, a good wife and a good mother. Of course, he pointed out that the reason why women have to undertake such a "selfless" and passive responsibility role is that "husbands work hard for the family, fulfill their obligations for their monarchs and the country, and sometimes even need to sacrifice their lives". Therefore, when Chinese men protect women at all costs and all the women they bring into their families, as well as the children they give birth to and raise, the sacrifice of Chinese women is absolute loyalty to the man she calls her husband.
Evaluation：
Ku Hungming regards the chain of Chinese people's beliefs as: women submitting to men and men submitting to the emperor (or a place where Chinese people's beliefs are placed). However, why can't women bypass men and directly submit to the emperor? If women, like men, took on the responsibility of submitting to the emperor, then Chinese women would not be obedient and selfless. They could also be strong, unrestrained and capable of establishing their own great undertakings.
Reflection:
In "The Chinese Women", Mr. Ku wrote: "The true ideal woman is always a housewife." Although Chinese people are indeed considerate of others and can even be said to live for others throughout their lives, this does not mean that the glory of a Chinese woman lies in living selflessly for her husband. Therefore, all the claims made by Mr. Ku that the concubine system is not immoral or unequal, or that one should follow one's father, husband and son, are unreasonable in today's world. In the primitive period, the social division of labor based on the different physiological needs of men and women was indeed men working outside and women working inside. Such a division of labor gradually led us to form the stereotype that women should exist dependent on men. Therefore, in all ancient marital relationships, it was inevitable that the husband's human rights were above those of the wife. However, as civilization continues to develop and the competence for a certain occupation or position no longer solely depends on physical strength, the social division of labor between men and women is bound to become increasingly equal, and thus the perspective of women from men will gradually fade and eventually disappear. In a Chinese-style society, I by no means believe that secular marriage is about love between men and women and a private engagement. I also never deny the significance of marriage for the continuation of the family line. However, the continuation and prosperity of a clan are not merely about one party being subordinate to the other, but rather should be shared equally by both parties. Therefore, the author believes that the elegance and charm of Chinese women do not lie in absolute obedience. The so-called "leisure" does not mean staying indoors all the time. True charm should not be in form, but in the peace and composure of the heart.