Filling a conspicuous gap in the scholarship on both Chinese history and gender studies, this introductory survey offers the first sustained history of women in the early imperial era. Drawing on extensive primary and secondary sources in Chinese and Japanese, Bret Hinsch paints a remarkably detailed picture of the distant past. His introductory chapters orient the nonspecialist to early imperial Chinese society; subsequent chapters explore women's roles from the multiple perspectives of kinship, wealth and work, law, government, learning, ritual, and cosmology. A rich array of line drawings, a Chinese-character glossary, and extensive notes and bibliography enhance the author's discussion. Historians and students of gender and early China alike will find this book an invaluable survey of the field.
List of FiguresAcknowledgmentsIntroduction11The Context: Early Imperial China152Kinship333Wealth and Work594Law795Government936Learning1117Ritual1298Cosmology143Conclusion159Notes167Glossary of Chinese Terms205Bibliography207Index231About the Author237