Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China
This paper focuses on the life of Liu Shu (1520–1657), a woman warrior who lived through the social and political turmoil of the violent dynastic transition from the Ming (1368–1644) dynasty to the Qing (1636–1911) dynasty. Drawing on the writings of Liu Shu and on different versions of accounts of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/739 |
| _version_ | 1827735799219617792 |
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| author | Hongyu Wu |
| author_facet | Hongyu Wu |
| author_sort | Hongyu Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on the life of Liu Shu (1520–1657), a woman warrior who lived through the social and political turmoil of the violent dynastic transition from the Ming (1368–1644) dynasty to the Qing (1636–1911) dynasty. Drawing on the writings of Liu Shu and on different versions of accounts of her life written by male literati in different time periods, this paper intends to reveal the multiplicity and complexity of how a woman could exert her agency and interact with the dominant structure. Commonly, women’s agency has been understood as resistance against the male-dominant patriarchal system. However, recently, scholars such as Saba Mahmood have problematized universalizing overtly resistant acts against the patriarchal society to bring radical changes as demonstrations of women’s agency. These scholars argue that this approach fails to recognize that through their autonomy and while living a life of self-fulfillment, women have the capacity to reproduce, sustain, or subtly change the social norms and views of values that justify and support the patriarchal structure. In light of these scholars’ studies, this paper explores Liu Shu’s engagement in political and military activities and her Buddhist practices to analyze how she transgressed established gender norms in order to uphold rather than reject the virtues promoted by patriarchal ideology. The paper also discusses how conflicting demands on women by a male-centered society in the drastic dynastic transition enabled her to negotiate with or challenge the dominant structure. It also considers how her disobedient acts were accepted and applauded by some male literati to address their own agenda in different cultural, historical, and political contexts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:58:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-346534f415f34a189be284912ec4ad0b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:58:42Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-346534f415f34a189be284912ec4ad0b2023-11-18T12:23:10ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-06-0114673910.3390/rel14060739Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century ChinaHongyu Wu0School for the Humanities and Global Cultures, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810, USAThis paper focuses on the life of Liu Shu (1520–1657), a woman warrior who lived through the social and political turmoil of the violent dynastic transition from the Ming (1368–1644) dynasty to the Qing (1636–1911) dynasty. Drawing on the writings of Liu Shu and on different versions of accounts of her life written by male literati in different time periods, this paper intends to reveal the multiplicity and complexity of how a woman could exert her agency and interact with the dominant structure. Commonly, women’s agency has been understood as resistance against the male-dominant patriarchal system. However, recently, scholars such as Saba Mahmood have problematized universalizing overtly resistant acts against the patriarchal society to bring radical changes as demonstrations of women’s agency. These scholars argue that this approach fails to recognize that through their autonomy and while living a life of self-fulfillment, women have the capacity to reproduce, sustain, or subtly change the social norms and views of values that justify and support the patriarchal structure. In light of these scholars’ studies, this paper explores Liu Shu’s engagement in political and military activities and her Buddhist practices to analyze how she transgressed established gender norms in order to uphold rather than reject the virtues promoted by patriarchal ideology. The paper also discusses how conflicting demands on women by a male-centered society in the drastic dynastic transition enabled her to negotiate with or challenge the dominant structure. It also considers how her disobedient acts were accepted and applauded by some male literati to address their own agenda in different cultural, historical, and political contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/739Confucian gender normsagencyfilial pietychastityloyaltyConfucianism |
| spellingShingle | Hongyu Wu Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China Religions Confucian gender norms agency filial piety chastity loyalty Confucianism |
| title | Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China |
| title_full | Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China |
| title_fullStr | Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China |
| title_short | Sword and Lotus: The Life of a Confucian Buddhist Woman Warrior in Seventeenth Century China |
| title_sort | sword and lotus the life of a confucian buddhist woman warrior in seventeenth century china |
| topic | Confucian gender norms agency filial piety chastity loyalty Confucianism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/6/739 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hongyuwu swordandlotusthelifeofaconfucianbuddhistwomanwarriorinseventeenthcenturychina |