It is in the public domain that China, for a long time now, has been both a patrilineal and also a patriarchal society. It puts a greater emphasis on the significance of a family setup and the hierarchy that exists in it. The superiority of the male gender, on one hand, and the inferiority of the female gender, on the other hand, have been concepts that are deeply rooted in this community’s culture for almost two thousand years. These aspects are magnificent in numerous aspects of the Chinese social life. Women in this society, as a result, have little legal rights, as well as, career development in comparison to their male counterparts. The justice system, particularly in the late imperial China, continue to infringe on their rights. Therefore, the paper that follows will explain what the treatment of women in the Chinese law tells us about the understandings of justice in the late imperial China.
The book “the Death of Woman Wang” points a clear picture of the treatment that women were accorded i.e. they were not perceived as equivalents. In fact, they were regarded as possessions and an inferior gender. The roles that they played in the family, community and even globally were not emphasized since their input in life was regarded as worthless. In the story told by Spence, he gives accurate information on the manners that women were perceived by the society. No attention was also paid to them. However, significant attention was placed on the male gender as they were seen as those that could work and represent China in various positions both locally and internationally. As a result of this importance pegged on men, women received harsh treatments from the Chinese legal systems. For instance, in Woman Wang, she is subjected to a heavy punishment in comparison to the man despite the fact that they were both adulterous.
The treatment of women described above tells us of the discrimination they were subjected to in the justice systems of the late imperial China. The harsh treatment that Wang received is a true depiction of the sorry state of affairs of the justice system of the Chinese people during the late imperial China. When compared to the men in the same societies, the women enjoyed lesser freedom making them play only three roles in their entire lifetime i.e. daughter, wife and lastly mother. Research has shown that women in this society suffered from foot binding which is otherwise the reduction of their physical mobility because of the barriers that were put in place by the justice system. For the males in similar societies, however, there were no barriers to their movements that were enacted by the law.
Justice in the late Imperial China also points out to the fact that the trial officials did not adhere to the law while giving their verdicts on cases. It was particularly the case when women were involved. They were often perceived as being deceitful with the notion that they could not be fully trusted in the court of law. Therefore, during this period, it is vivid that China had a very complex way of punishing its offenders. Even though capital punishment was used in few occasions, the lashes and beatings that were a common phenomenon had the possibility of killing one. The situation was dire because of the injury and harm that it caused on its victims especially the female gender who have been regarded as generally weak people. That treatment tells us that the justice system was not considerate of all the parties in the country since it regarded others as being superior in comparison to others.
The happenings during the times of the Ming dynasty can also assist in the comprehension of the concept of justice in the late imperial China. It has been mentioned that the emperor did little in the creation of significant policies that could offer comfort to his people. He used his powers in devious manners while at the same time scraping off any possible profits that could be made in the empire. That has particularly resulted in massive insults, damage and also suffering for the women gender (Forman 19). These activities of the emperor worsened the situation as women were belittled and their voices could not be heard during this period. That tells us that even though at times the whole society was facing massive struggles, it is the women gender who felt a massive blow because of the manners that they were perceived.
In spite of the comprehension of justice in the late imperial China as described above, improvements have been made by the Chinese government concerning women's positions. The government has adopted drastic measures to ensure that this phenomenon is eliminated. Therefore, there has been a substantial attempt of promoting women equality both on the legal framework and in all matters.
In conclusion, the treatment of women and the consequent understanding of justice in the late Imperial Chinese has been discussed above. Attaining equality of all the sexes in the justice system and other spheres of life in China has been a long, as well as, a tedious task stemming from the traditional concepts and feudal backwardness that the people of China are often associated. These elements enable the comprehension of the country's justice system during the late imperial period as being biased to the female gender. It has been related to the harsh treatment that Wang received in comparison to what her accomplice received despite the fact that they were both adulterous. Therefore, the treatment of women in the Chinese tells us of an unequal society where men are regarded as superior beings to women.
Work cited
Forman, Steve. The Search for Modern China- A Documentary Edition. 3rd ed. the United States
of America: W. W Norton & Company, Inc., 2014.
