Patriarchy,Heathendom And Progress-Chinese Gender Views In Morrison'S Eyes

The rise of the west and the decline of China in the late 19 th century witnessed the interaction,confrontation between the two civilizations.Missionaries,tourists,businessmen came to China with various purposes,and some of them got involved in the historical changes.George Ernest Morrison who came to China as a missionary and then worked as a correspondent and political consultant,spent 21 years in exploring China and understanding the Chinese people.His observation of China was multidimensional,ranging from Chinese natural scenery to cultural information,from the southwestern region of China to the northwestern region of China,and from Chinese male to female group.Gender views are important parts of his perceptions of China,which are closely related to his identities in different periods.It is claimed in the thesis that Morrison's perceptions of gender relations in China were framed by his identities at different stages,mainly including his cultural identity and professional identity.As a westerner who lived in the Victorian period,Morrison was influenced by the traditional view of male superiority and female inferiority which was the dominant gender view in China as well.Whether in the west or in China,male group was the main body of the society,while female were regarded as attachment to men within the patriarchy.As a missionary who came to China for“saving” Chinese,he was inclined to describe the heathenish life of Chinese.Men and women were suffering tremendous pain,both physically and mentally.As a correspondent working for The Times,he still voiced his dissatisfaction with the repression and confinement of Chinese gender relations.However,Morrison's understanding of Chinese male and female had gradually changed with the accumulation of his experience in China.He noticed the prospect of Chinese society,the progress of men and women,and the positive mental outlook of Chinese people.As a political consultant,he showed different tendencies towards Chinese men and women in politics by making a comparison between Yuan Shikai and Empress Dowager Cixi.Morrison's perceptions of China,not only on behalf of the general cognition and attitudes of the westerners,but also incorporate his unique insights on the basis of multiple identities.Unlike criticizing China blindly as most westerners did,Morrison noticed the progress of China and pointed out that there were some inconsistencies with westerners' description of China.His views on China are more objective,including criticism and praise of Chinese gender relations.However,Morrison'scognition always corresponded with the interests of the British Empire since his starting point was to safeguard the interests of the British Empire and make China into a British colony.He viewed China and participated in Chinese politics in order to maintain Sino-British relations and ensure the interests of Britain in China.