Women’s Needlework And Edification

This article probes into the educational mechanism of women’s needlework in the context of Confucian edification, mainly investigating Caozhou braided rope which is handed down in the Shandong Caozhou area as an old female needle work. Through the analysis of its history, handicraft, heritage, cultural factors, this article spares no effort to illustrate the penetration and transformation of Confucian education thought in the women’s practice of needle work, namely the common effect of the institutional factors in the process of their needle work study, production and application as well as the ideological situation of the women in tradition society in the process of the acceptance, practice and spread of the Confucian educational thought so as to wholly understand the educational mechanism for the traditional Chinese women through their practice of needle work. In traditional society, education is the combination of teaching and influence, in other words the interaction of the political system and customs. Political system is a subjective consciousness while the customs are congenital. In reality they often overlap together, and there is an inherent tendency of self-organization. Based on the desire of life, guided by the ritual order, through custom interaction in characteristic ways, the theoretical basis and implementation path design of Confucian edification mobilize and integrate various social resources and cultural resources, subtly achieving enlightenment to people in their daily lives. Integrating the political system and customs in this whole education mechanism, women’s needle work plays an enlightenment function especially to the traditional female groups.From the case of Cao Zhou braided rope, we can see the consistency of Confucian edification in life etiquette, custom assurance and mind influence which vividly reflects the mechanical operation characteristics of enlightenment."Rope worship" characterizes the faith of folk life, emotion, life appeal and many other aspects, reflects people’s concept of time and space, outlook on life, values and dominates the life state of their own by putting these ideas permeate through a variety of folk customs. The Confucian "enchant" tradition cleverly guides these pursuits and ideas to the institutionalization of social structure represented by wedding ceremonies; through the political construction of the system, it places customs with natural features, and through "Flower Song", a form which mix techniques, knowledge, and entertainment together, it points straight to the heart, lifting unconscious labor to create to active moral recognition and value pursuit. This process of transformation and ascension is the process of edification. Political system and customs operates evenly and stably, and the etiquette and custom interact closely, achieving the education goal of "Jing couple, a filial piety, thick ethics, beauty education, shifting customs".