'Modernising Conservatism' in Early Twentieth-Century China: the Discourse and Practice of Women's Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on a pervasive strand of thinking on women's public education during the last years of the Qing and early years of the Republic which sought to reconfigure traditional virtues and skills in the cause of family harmony, social order and national prosperity. A study of this 'modernising conservative' discourse on women's education and its critique of the behaviour and attitudes of female students also provides an insight into how female students themselves responded to the new educational opportunities available to them.

Women in China's Long Twentieth Century

“…Yet schooling for girls continued to expand in Beijing, where Manchu women took an active role (Cheng 2000), and in Tianjin (McElroy 2001) and Shanghai. In the last decade of the Qing and in the early Republic, the numbers of girl students increased, while many educators hewed to a conservative social agenda aimed at raising good wives and virtuous mothers (Borthwick 1985; Gipoulon 1989-90; W. Ye 2001;Bailey 2001Bailey , 2003Bailey , 2004McElroy 2001;Mittler 2003;Du 2005;Zurndorfer 2005). "Conservative," however, did not mean "unchanging."…”

“…Tao 1994;Z. Wang 1999;Bailey 2001;McElroy 2001;Judge 2002b;Zurndorfer 2005). Anti-footbinding societies became popular in coastal cities and then moved inland (Croll 1980;Ono 1989;Drucker 1981;Levy 1992;C.…”

“…Women writers such as Chen Xiefen characterized women as enslaved in an unequal gender system, which in turn helped weaken China and expose it to the danger of enslavement by global colonizing forces (Karl Women's Bell, envisioned women who would study, work, own property, choose their own friends and husbands, and participate in politics (Rong 1983;Borthwick 1985;Z. Wang 1999;Bailey 2001). In Jin's vision, women would strengthen the nation by becoming more like men; women's rights were subordinated to this overriding nationalist project (Zarrow 1990;Edwards 1994).…”

“…/ Introduction 86 / National Modernity (Borthwick 1985;Bailey 2001Bailey , 2004. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, many commentators worried that girls' schools would become hotbeds of illicit sexual activity, pursuit of frivolous fashion trends, and unapproved public political activities (Cheng 2000;Bailey 2001Bailey , 2003Bailey , 2004.…”

“…At the turn of the twentieth century, in an atmosphere of national crisis, reformers expanded upon missionary arguments about women's low status. Kang Youwei petitioned the throne to ban footbinding, while Liang Qichao named women's education as the key to all reform efforts, including strengthening the economy, producing "sage mothers and good wives," and improving the race (Ono 1989;Borthwick 1985; Gipoulon 1989-90;Rong 1983;Levy 1992; C. Tao 1994; Z. Wang 1999;Bailey 2001;McElroy 2001;Judge 2002b;Zurndorfer 2005). Anti-footbinding societies became popular in coastal cities and then moved inland (Croll 1980;Ono 1989;Drucker 1981;Levy 1992; C. Tao 1994; Cheng 2000;Ko 2005).…”