Crossing the Gate: Everyday Lives of Women in Song Fujian (960-1279)

Challenges the accepted wisdom about women and gender roles in medieval China.

In Crossing the Gate, Man Xu examines the lives of women in the Chinese province of Fujian during the Song dynasty. Tracking women's life experience across class lines, outside as well as inside the domestic realm, Xu challenges the accepted wisdom about women and gender roles in medieval China. She contextualizes women in a much broader physical space and social network, investigating the gaps between ideals and ...