Gender reversal: Women in Chinese drama under Mongol rule (1234-1368)

A salient feature of Yuan tsa-chu (1234-1368) is that women are characterized as the superior sex in about seventy of the one hundred and sixty-two extant plays. The reversal of gender roles is itself a unique phenomenon because this dramatic literature was produced by men in a patriarchal cultural context. Using a semiotic feminist analysis, I consider this superior woman as a sign reflecting the dramatist's thought of how to adapt oneself in a politically and ideologically disturbing environment. The Yuan playwright dramatized the conflicts between oppressed women and society because he perceived that the traditional status of women was similar to his current status.; Though placed in an inferior position, these women know how to survive and succeed. Their stories serve as beacons to those men in despair. Some heroines instruct the audience to always maintain a basic moral principle. Those in love dramas encourage one to assert one's independence and free will. Those in comedies of intrigues advise one to act and to adapt flexibly. The underlying message of these plays is a reaction to the people's acquiescence and especially to the scholar's passivity. It is also a revolt against Neo-Confucian behavioral guidelines. The reversal of gender roles exposes the inadequacy of the Confucian teaching that man not woman is the sex capable of displaying morality and ability, and hence is justified in enjoying his higher social status. Women in these Yuan plays prove that they can be stronger than men and are worthy of emulation by men.