Memorial Archways for Chaste and Filial Women in Xiangxi during the Qing Dynasty and Their Role in Shaping Women's Family Roles
List of Authors
  • Xu Tian

Keyword
  • Memorial Archway for Chaste and Filial Women; Indigenous People; Family Roles; Women's Perceptions; Xiangxi

Abstract
  • The memorial archway for chaste and filial women (Jiexiao Paifang) was a compensatory system in the feudal society for widows who remained unmarried after their husbands' deaths. Over time, this system evolved into an externalized means of controlling women. Yongshun County in Xiangxi was a typical settlement area for indigenous people (Tumin), and a considerable number of Qing Dynasty Jiexiao Paifang still remain today. The owners of these memorial archways were elite indigenous women. From the surviving Jiexiao Paifang, it is evident that these archways played a role in shaping the normative family roles of indigenous women. However, indigenous women were not entirely passive in the face of this system and feudal ethics. Instead, they utilized it as a means to realize their personal values and secure tangible benefits.

Reference
  • No Data Recorded