background

1922 is the end of the Qing Dynasty and in the early Republic of China .

This is a times which east and west's culture flow across to each other.

A Famous American writer of Chinese descent

1949 Parents immigrate from China to America . Then go adrift for many years.

After her father died , they have lived in Switzerland until graduating from senior high school. 1969 return to America and settle down in California

Continues the studies to the San Jose Municipal college. Transfers majors in linguistics her to the literary academy

After that Tan graduates from San Jose State University, obtains the linguistics master's degree in 1973

Amy tan 's novels pay particular attention to ethnicity, family history, and the importance of female voices

At first she study in a college of medicine in order to fulfill her mother ‘s expectation. Then she give up shortly.

Look at their bound feet! Look at that funny lady with the plucked forehead

They are in mourning

They were not peasant women but big city people,very modern.

They went to dance halls and wore stylish clothes. They were supposed to be the lucky ones.

She turned down a lawyer and married another man. Later she divorced her husband, a daring thing for a woman to do.

concubine

Her husband, my great-uncle, often complained that his family had chosen an ugly woman for his wife.

Great-uncle’s family eventually chose a pretty woman for his second wife.

doomma.”big mother”

Why else did she remarry, disobeying her family’s orders to remain a widow forever?

Doomma died the same way she lived……strong,suffering lots.

A rich man,who liked to collect pretty women,raped my grandmother and thereby forced her into becoming one of his concubines.

A concubine was like some kind of prostitute. my mother was a good woman,high-class. she had no choice.

You did not live in china then. You do not know what it’s like to have no position in life.

◎ancient --- patriarchy(重男輕女 )

◎16th century --- Renaissance(文藝復興 )→ art, science, and values changed

◎17th century --- rationalism(理性主義 )→ (1) gender equality (2) education

◎18th century --- an epoch of revolution(革命的時代 )→ (1) labored jobs (2)initiative(主導權 ) in economy

◎19th century --- women started to establish school→ (1) St. Hilda’s College (2) Troy Female Seminary(神學院 )

◎20th century!!(1)WWI (2) WWII (3) Economic depression

◎Now --- gender equality has almost been achieved

Concubines are women who cohabit with men but are not married to them.

In ancient China position of the concubine was inferior to that of the wife. The concubine was heavily dependent on the nature of the wife, and the favour of her ‘husband’.

Traditional western laws do not acknowledge the legal status of concubines, rather only admitting monogamous marriages.

Islam admits that man has the right to possess concubines along with his wife, or wives, to fulfil his sexual needs.

They theoretically don't have the rights and competence that free women enjoy.

The tradition of binding Chinese women's feet to make them appear as small as a lotus bud was thought to have started at the end of the Tang dynasty a thousand years ago.

Manchus and Westerners attempted to ban the custom.

Acient time Women=Object=Tool=....

ex. Xi Shi( 西施 ),Diao Chan( 貂蟬 ),Wang Zhaojun( 王昭君 ) 

Medieval(about Tang Dynasty) Tang code:a couple wishing to divorce on the

basis of mutual consent and a peaceful process were not to be punished

Wu Zetian( 武則天 )

Modern time Women can do almost whatever they

want!!!