Lianxiang ban is one of the rare female love theme plays in mid-seventeenth century China, written by Li Yu, a popular writer, whose opinion of female love may reflect a group of literati of his...Show moreLianxiang ban is one of the rare female love theme plays in mid-seventeenth century China, written by Li Yu, a popular writer, whose opinion of female love may reflect a group of literati of his time. This Thesis discovers Li Yu's notion of female love in his play Lianxiang ban by analyzing Li Yu's life, close-reading Lianxiang ban's script, discussing the fascination with 'qing' in Late Ming Literature and male-male eroticism in Ming-Qing era. It becomes clear that Li Yu admires and respects the pure love between two heroines in Lianxiang ban and believes that their love is not inferior to male-female love. This finding challenges some scholar's argument that Li Yu's writing on female love is for the benefit of heterosexual sex and marriage.Show less
This thesis tries to give the reader an insight into the female side of the story through analyzing pieces written in the women's script: How did the women in Jiangyong experience the society they...Show moreThis thesis tries to give the reader an insight into the female side of the story through analyzing pieces written in the women's script: How did the women in Jiangyong experience the society they lived in? What dilemmas did they face and how did they feel about these dilemmas? And finally, with what intent did they express their feelings into their writings?Show less
The Three Kingdoms hero Guan Yu has long been a very interesting subject of study due to his gradual rise from the status of tragic hero to that of deity. Over the course of this image-building...Show moreThe Three Kingdoms hero Guan Yu has long been a very interesting subject of study due to his gradual rise from the status of tragic hero to that of deity. Over the course of this image-building process he has accumulated a number of different titles and functions. This thesis seeks to contrast this image has taken shape through the literary and religious realms in which he played a role.Show less
This study focuses on the anti-footbinding movement initiated by the Western missionaries in late Qing China. Western missionaries were the first group of people who advocated the abolishment of...Show moreThis study focuses on the anti-footbinding movement initiated by the Western missionaries in late Qing China. Western missionaries were the first group of people who advocated the abolishment of footbinding, and their activities had facilitated the spread of this movement. However, as the intention of western missionary in China was to Christianize the Chinese, did their anti-footbinding movement contribute to the recruitment of more Chinese converts? If not, why? Centering on this research question, the thesis is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the general missionary history in China and the positions of the Catholics and the Protestants on the issue of footbinding. Chapter 2 is a case study on Rev.John Macgowan’s anti-footbinding effort in Amoy. This case shows how missionary handled the anti-footbinding issue in a local area of China and what problems the missionary met during his practice. Chapter 3 is another case study on Young John Allen and the famous newspaper Wanguo gongbao he launched which had great influence in the modern history of China. Through the discussions of anti-footbinding in the newspaper, Allen successfully drew the attention of the Chinese reformers on the anti-footbinding issue. Young’s case signals a transition of the anti-footbinding movement from missionaries to a wider public. This transition led the anti-footbiding movement to a further development in China. However, it also implies the loosening of ties between anti-footbinding movement and the evangelical cause. Chapter 4 is a study of the larger social context of late Qing China which produced much antagonism and few support for the Western missionaries’ anti-footbinding movement, as the Western imperialists’ advancement in China affected the images of missionaries and made people unwilling to associate themselves with Christianity, even if they might support the abolishment of footbinding.Show less
