Research On Female Calligraphers In Jiangnan In The Late Ming And Early Qing Dynasties

In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties,due to the development of economic,the prosperity of culture and the relative relation of the social environment,the number of educated women in Jiangnan increased rapidly,which led to the emergence of a large number of female calligraphers in Jiangnan.These female calligraphers were based on the regions of Suzhou,Songjiang,Changzhou,Zhenjiang,Jiangning,Hangzhou,Jiaxing,Huzhou,Cangzhou,which were designated by the Suzhou Government as “Eight Prefectures and One Country”.At the same time,as their social activities expanded to a larger area,by virtue of their talent,they have made a footprint in the history written by men,but such records are after all rare and can not restore the true situation and calligraphy life of female calligraphers in Jiangnan,therefore,this paper hopes to find out the calligraphy ecology and the survival predicament of female calligraphers in Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties through the investigation of the extant literary sketches and poetry collections.According to their status,the female calligraphers who lived in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties in Jiangnan can be divided into two groups: Teachers of the Inner Chambers and Beauty Calligraphers of Qinhuai,with the special role of “a well-behaved and dignified country girl ” as the link between them,they formed the calligraphy ecology of female calligraphers in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.The author intends to analyze the depression of personality and their living predicament which suffered by female calligraphers in Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties,taking into account the social,economic and cultural environment reflected in the notes of scholars in the Ming and Qing dynasties,thus causes to the present multitudinous talented woman culture research reconsidering.In addition,based on the contacts of female calligraphers in Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties,it is clear that the relevant materials of female calligraphers today are all recorded from the male perspective,this paper probes into the calligraphic life of the female calligraphers in Jiangnan from their intercourse and intercourse with the scholars,and probes into the significance of calligraphy to the female calligraphers in Jiangnan.We need to recognize the reason why the female calligraphers in Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties were in a marginal area in the study of the history in calligraphy,and that the writing of the present history of calligraphy is only a single male perspective,it is realized that the research of female calligraphers in Jiangnan is faced with the lack of data sources,which is the problem of the male perspective.Female calligraphers themselves in the history of calligraphy are in a weak position,and their weakness is caused by the belittling of women in traditional Chinese culture and the self-belittling of women influenced by them.On the basis of sorting out the original documents,this paper intends to examine the writing of the history of calligraphy from another angle,hoping to study the artistic talent of female calligraphers in Jiangnan in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties,in order to improve the history of calligraphy written from multiple angles to contribute their own modest efforts.The author expects to arouse the attention of female calligraphers through this research,and also hope that female calligraphers can forge ahead and make their own history.