Female Images In The Song Dynasty And Their Life

The paper mainly based on collected Image Date, then combines with the records in Documents of Official History, Literary Sketches, Poetry and Epitaph, inspect the female image, women’s lives and metaphoric social phenomenon the Image Date reflected. Meanwhile, by dint of the gender theory rising from 1970 s, the paper explores the social status of women in Song Dynasty through a new perspective.The Image Data as it has come clown from Song Dynasty to modern times is composed of paintings, sculptures, murals and other images, which clearly reproduce the ideal image of the virtuous women in scholar-bureaucrats’ mind. She is fair lady looks slim, slender, graceful and beautiful by appearance, her dress tend to be conservative, she conducts herself sedately and quietly, and she behaves suitably whether stand or sit. Besides, in terms of immanence, she should be gentle,sincerity, well-educated and sensible, listen to her parents before married, filial piety her parents-in-law after married, has the ability to assist her husband and the cultivation to upbringing the children,protects husband ’ s family Jongmyo Shrine and mediates the clan relationships, so that the family will be harmony and the descendants multiple like the stars.However, there exist a gap between the ideal and the reality. Since scholar-bureaucrats advocated the women to be educated, it’s difficult to confine women’s intelligence; talented women read widely and even left behind a large number of outstanding literary and art works. Since appreciating talented women’s assistance, accept their colorful family life seems to be the only way. What ’ s more, the influences of Neo-Confucianism strengthened gradually, the laisser-faire style from Tang Dynasty still retained. Besides, the enlightened degree of each family is different, the bondage on women contain variety factors. So,the women coming from upper-and-middle class in Song Dynasty still have rich entertainment activities, whether inside the boudoir or outside the house.In Song Dynasty, except the basic housework, women coming from different classes also participate in economic activities in variety ways.Especially the low-class women who have fewer shackles and the need to earn a living, in addition, the commodity economy of Song Dynasty is very prosperous, there is little significant gender difference between women and men in agricultural production, many women involved in commercial activities or make a living by handicaps, they play an important role in supporting the family economic.The Confucian view “Men managing external affairs women internal”has well defined the living space and gender role in traditional society,and limit women to the “inside” area. But women from different social sectors still participate the economic activity in different ways,especially the low-class women who undertake the economic burden of the family. While the recreational activities of upper-and-middle-class women enrich the spiritual life, increase the knowledge and to some extent extend the living space of women. The traditional model that“Men managing external affairs women internal” is just an ideal situation pursued by the Confucian; the reality usually transcends gender norms and has rich and diverse characteristics.