Women of the Tang dynasty
If you were a woman in ancient China, it would be safe to say that the best period to live in is the Tang dynasty (June 18, 618–June 4, 907)
The women of the Tang dynasty were much freer and had more rights than in any other period of Ancient China, although this was more for the affluent women of the upper-classes. The men themselves preferred assertive and active women, allowing the foreign sport of polo to become wildly popular, especially among women.
Also, many women gained power through the means of religious authority by becoming a Taoist priestess. A good example of this would be the head mistress of the bordellos in North Hamlet, Chang’an who gained great wealth and rose to a considerable power.
The Courtesans
Courtesans were a great representative of female power because they were highly skilled poets or singers and were educated in table manners and the rules in all the drinking games. They managed banquets and feasts and were not afraid to criticize the elite men if they were in some way ruining the meal. There was even a case in which one courtesan beat up a drunken man for insulting her. Their song lyrics were self-created and they even introduced a new style of song by using the words of famous and renowned men in Chinese history.
Fashion
For all the full-figured (plump) people out there, you would really shine if you were living in the Tang dynasty!
To be full-figured was the desired shape. The fashionable hairstyle was to bunch up hair like "an elaborate edifice above the forehead,” and for the richer women, they wore extravagant head decoration, combs, pearl necklaces, face powders and perfumes.
For decency, a law was passed, trying to force women to wear veils. This was ignored and women even started wearing caps or no hats at all! They also wore men's riding clothes, boots and tight sleeved bodices.
A make-up kit consisted of rouge, lipstick and a little mirror, quite similar to ours nowadays. Their eyebrow shape was also very important, the style being a little mountain shape like this ^. Women balanced jeweled ornaments on their heads, with little beads of bells jingling down the sides.
The Great ones
There were several outstanding court-ladies like Empress Wu, who seized the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese emperor, ruling in her own right. Another lady was Yang Guifei(715-756), who made Emperor Xuanzong promote relatives and friends to important ministerial and martial positions.
Living conditions
The women and men that worked in the countryside still worked hard in their separate jobs. The women weaving textiles and rearing silkworms while the men worked in the fields. They lived in small simple mud brick and straw huts with a simple one room while the rich lived in pagoda-styled large houses, with several rooms and were waited upon by many servants and slaves.
The capital city of that time was called Chang'an , a bustling city of over 1 million people. It was separated into little blocks, each with their own marketplace and temple. The households had their own heaters, mechanical fans and fountains. They were filled with musical instruments, ceramics cutlery and goblets of gold and silver.
Family and School Life
Girls weren't allowed to go to school. Instead, they were educated at home. They respected their teachers as Teachers were one of the five objects of worship. (The other four were heaven, earth, the emperor, and parents).
After a girl is married, she is expected to live at her husband's household. She should be obedient to her husband and respect her elders.
A map of the Tang Dynasty and the area it reigned over.
Sports
Because woman had more freedom, they were allowed to join in, in many sports and games. Examples of highly popular games were polo and cuju.
Polo
The game polo is said to have originated from Iran, whose empire used this game as training for their light cavalry. The game spread through to China and it was encouraged for anyone, whether of noble court or a peasant to play it.
Cuju
Cuju was also highly popular in the Tang and Han dynasty and teams were created for the pleasure of nobles to watch. Anyone could play this game and the only equipment necessary was a cloth ball. This ballgame is quite possibly the originator of the modern game of soccer or football.
So now we all should hopefully know a bit more about what living in the Tang dynasty was like. But do you know why? Why was it that women were freer in this period?
Well, perhaps part of the reason is that the Tang rulers were not pure Han people (who were more conservative) but instead had mixed bloodlines and were less restrictive and more open to new ideas. There was also a great deal of trading along the Silk Road between the Middle East and even as far as Africa, bringing with it, new religions and ideas.
Pymble Ladies College 2011
