I do not know why Google comes up with almost 1.5 million results for "Traditional Chinese girl", and only a meager 210,000 for "Chinese traditional girl". But let's face it: hardly anyone will question whether a girl is a girl, or a Chinese a Chinese; it is instead the word "traditional" that raises many an eyebrow, yet what exactly do girls or women mean when they refer to themselves as traditional Chinese girls or Chinese traditional girls?

I suggest we ponder a while about this by loosely looking back into Chinese history, and in the process of pondering we hopefully can take away some of the confusion. One last thing prior to our exploration needs to be said: the ladies in today’s spotlights are not traditional in the sense that they wear qipaos or engage in tea ceremonies or the like. While those customs may carry a message in themselves, there is a less obvious one, one that only will be revealed to you in more subtle, less direct manner through the self-acclamation (or self-glorification) of the girls bespoken: their attitude toward marriage and sex.

1) “I am a traditional Chinese girl” in the Confucian sense
The female forgoer of the girl who betrothed her heart to Confucius, passively and meekly fortified the paternal clan of the family, favouring boys over girls. A nasty by-product of upholding the father’s family name was polygamy: the man having multiple wives at the same time. Was that legal? Oh no, but it the many rules and laws in the Motherland were not really enforced. This practice of polygamy, by the way, goes all the way back to the Qing Dynasty in which the emperor allowed men to have as many concubines as they wished, and women had low positions and usually were treated as servants rather than wives. If this is the tradition our girl refers to, be ready for tragedy. Even if she loves you, she will forswear that love on behalf of her obedience toward the society to which she belongs.

2) “I am a traditional Chinese girl” in the set of early societies
In early Chinese societies people did not marry at all, but had sexual relationships with one another indiscriminately. To be held responsible for the mindset and goals of our traditional girl, however, this contestant is an unlikely one. Why? Well, in traditional Chinese thinking people in bespoken societies lived like animals with no concept of father or husband, mother or wife. And while there are many families that can be accused of a similar lack of awareness today, the girl who has committed herself to this traditional status will probably deny every such insinuation.

3) “I am a traditional Chinese girl” at the source of all sources: the dragon lady (and her snake husband)
Did you know that the first two Chinese people ever married were called Fuxi and Nuwa? That is probably less remarkable than the fact that Fuxi and Nuwa were once brother and sister. Nuwa, the sister, is depicted as a creature with a human face but the anatomy of a Chinese dragon. To hide her incestuous shame, she asked the heavens to surround her with mist. In many villages nowadays, brides still follow that custom of using a fan to shield their faces. When we look through the veil of shyness though, we see the dragon lady: according to Webster’s Dictionary, she’s a glamorous and often mysterious woman; but according to other sources, someone of evil influence, often pursuing wealth. In Ralph Emerson’s words: “Harder still it has proved to resist and rule the dragon Money, with its paper wings.”

Amazing how some pieces fall together. Unfortunately, even more separate us from our understanding of the self-acclaimed traditional Chinese girl. One advantage, though, of what she might or might not be, is given to us by these multiple interpretations: we may not have all the facts, but we do certainly have the options, wide and loose as traditional qipaos themselves.
 

Roger Bosch has been an ESL-teacher/custodian-for-foreign-teachers in Chongqing for six years, although he regards himself more as oral-English facilitator, or at worst a socioculturalist. In 2008 he received the Chongqing Foreign Experts Friendship Award, and has been cited in many local magazines and newspapers. Read more articles on www.rogerbosch.wordpress.com
 

Related links
The Chinese Virgin Complex (According to a Blogger)
Attitudes Toward Beauty, East and West: A Chinese Blogger’s Perspective
Zhang Yimou: Untarnished Beauty is Rare in Chinese Women These Days

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: self-acclaimed Chinese traditional girls traditional women China Chinese traditional girls Traditional Chinese girls