"orchid Dreams" Image Of Women And Feminist Consciousness

"A Dream of Orchid",the late Qing period novel, was published by Shanghai WenyuanGe Press in Guangxu thirty-one years. The "preface" said the author was Yinmeishanren, but nobody knew about his real name and his life. The novel is an imitation of "A Dream of Red Mansions". It narrates the life story of the heroine, Baozhu. Baozhu disguises herself as a man, takes the imperial examination, and takes part in the war. However, she is abused after marrying Xu Wenqing. Finally, she dies in misery. And the novel also narrates the life story of Baozhu's elder sister, Baolin. Baolin is beautiful and smart; she takes charge of family property. She marries Li Moqing, but isn't dominated by the authority of her husband. Currently, researchers are mainly concerned with the novel's themes and characters, most of them think that the purpose of the novel is to criticize the authority of the husband and uphold women's rights.However, I think the opinions are improper. Because the authority of the husband is a general element which is contained by almost all the classical Chinese novels, so it can not be summed up as the cause of Baozhu's tragic fate simply. Also, criticizing the authority of the husband is not the equal of promoting women's rights. The tragic fate of Baozhu need to be further studied.The first chapter deals with the relationship between "A Dream of Orchid" and "A Dream of Red Mansions". The imitation includes plots, character names, scenes description and so on. Some of them are clumsy. But the novel inherits the tragic spirit of "A Dream of Red Mansions", and it is the best imitation and the best creation. ChapterⅡaims at analyzing characters Baozhu and Baolin. Baozhu disguises herself as a man and make great contributions, however, she don't care about them. All she wants is to revert to be a girl, marry a good husband and be a good wife. On the contrary, Baolin marries Li Moqing, but she bid him defiance. The character Baolin reflects the author's opinion that women are able to grasp their destinies in their own hands. ChapterⅢfocuses on the story of disguising as a man, including "A Dream of Orchid" and other classical Chinese novels. Xu Wenqing, Baozhu's husband, don't agree with her. He thinks that this kind of behaviour would put Baozhu's chastity in danger. He has a distrust of Baozhu, treats her with great cruelty, his ill-treatment leads Baozhu to death. Baozhu's tragic fate shows that although a woman may disguise as a man and make great contributions in a novel, it would never come true in reality.