Women in Classic of Poetry

Abstract

The Classic of Poetry of the Confucius era occupied an important position in China’s literary history of thousands of years. Of the 300 poems it contains, it not only shows considerable literary value, but also reflects social changes in ancient China. The ritual system promoted by Confucianism was formed at the beginning of the Zhōu Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC), and gradually influenced all aspects of Chinese life in all social classes, including the social status of women. From these poems, we can see the process of this important social change. Some poems show us a free, egalitarian and open relationship between men and women, while others describe the impotence of women in a patriarchal society.