In this paper, Dr. Zhao recovers the voices of female litigants in performative genres who are pitted against their father or husband. When comparing Ming stories that feature women caught in family conflicts with later renditions of the stories in Qing theatrical form, two significant changes can be identified: First, the plays from mid-Qing onward usually prioritize loyalty to one’s husband (or his family) over filial piety to the natal family. Second, the Qing plays tend to accentuate the female protagonist’s courage to fight directly with her father or her husband.

These differences coincide with the historical reality of the period, which saw several important changes in law regarding women’s property right, the cult of chastity, and the accessibility of the court to female plaintiffs. Whereas women were supposed to stay home, avoid litigation, and remain submissive to their fathers and husbands, the cult of chastity created an imagined social niche for female agency and mobility in performative literature. Such empowerment of female litigants also paved the way for a progressive movement in favor of gender equality in the early twentieth century.

Speaker:

Dr. Mengdie Zhao is an Assistant Professor in NYU Shanghai Global China Studies since 2023 after received her Ph.D in Chinese literature from Harvard University in 2022. She is a scholar of Chinese literature with interests in gender studies and legal history. Her book project, “Shades of Justice: Law, Legal Culture, and Literary Experimentation in Early Modern China” examines critiques of law and alternative visions of justice in literature and drama from the 15th to the early 20th century.

Date: 2 April 2025 (Wednesday)

Time: 4:30pm – 6:00pm (4:00pm: Tea Reception)

Venue: Activities Room, 2/F, Art Museum East Wing, CUHK

Language: English

Registration: Click here

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