The book, The Death of Woman Wang took place in a corner of northeast China during the seventeenth century, in a country called T’an-ch’eng. This book focuses on how average women were treated in China. Throughout history, women always were viewed as the weak, ruled by men and treated with little or no respect. Woman of this time were treated as cookers, workers, mothers and wives. They had no power at the local government, but sometimes did concede in some of the decisions of the house only if you achieve to current age and had a son.
A man had refer how married and unmarried girls should not stroll by the river or ride up the hill in a carriage, but how they should stay home and raise the children. Women were treated with little or no respect, once you have married off to your husband’s family, they basically own you. I remember on page 82 it tells a story of how a man was gambling and when he ran out of money he put his wife up for the bet and lost.
When a year had passed and he had still not paid his debt so the people took his wife to replace the money he had owed. His wife was basically rented out as money and this happens often during that time. Women had no place at all, they have to obey their husband, no matter what they tell you to do, you have no choice but to do it. There was a manual of what women are bonded to do, to be loyal and women like.
It starts out by saying that a few of the characteristics that women should have, like chastity, courage, tenacity, and death if necessary when the husband dies to prevent rape. Out of fifteen women thirteen of them had committed suicide to save face. Nothing is more important than saving your chastity. It represent you as a whole, some times it means death then marrying a second husband. I feel so lucky for not having to go through the ancient life of being a woman. It was just pure sadness, but that was how women were treated in China in the pass.