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Virtue school

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Virtue schools,[1] or female virtue classes[2] (Chinese: 女德班[3]) are privately operated schools or classes in the People's Republic of China that have become controversial for allegedly teaching women so-called traditional Chinese virtues, such as being obedient and subordinate to men.[2]

Background

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Since the Qin dynasty, traditional female roles have been present in Chinese society, and women's behaviors have been mandated by the Ming and Qing dynasty eras.[4]

Traditionally, Chinese society has required women to be the "yin" against the male "yang", complementary to their father, husband or son, and placed an emphasis on chastity and a domestic role which does not require scholastic aptitude.[3] Practices such as foot binding, widow suicide and widow chastity were socially-accepted norms.[4]

In addition, various Chinese characters with negative connotations carry the radical (woman), including (lazy, languid), (obscene, lewd) and (stealing). Some idioms are also contemptuous of women, like the idiom 紅顏禍水, which roughly translates to femme fatale.[4]

The social demands on women moved to be more progressive after the Communist Party took power in China.[3]

History

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Siince the 2000s, various organizations and companies have organized virtue schools.[3] Various media reports state that virtue schools were organized in Beijing, as well as the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Henan, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong, and Zhejiang.[5][6][7]

Operation

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Some virtue schools have operated under the guise of summer camp classes,[8] while others have targeted families with troubled girls, claiming that they can change the girls for the better with the teaching of traditional values.[3] Some target corporations by claiming their teachings can lead to a more harmonious work environment.[2]

Course material

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The classes often involve teaching women that career and femininity do not mix.[2] Some of the core messages include:

  • Career women don't end well[2]
  • Women should stay at society's bottom level, and don't try to move upwards[2]
  • Always obey their father, husband and son's orders[2]
  • Never fight back when the husband is physically violent[2]
  • Never argue with the husband when he is yelling[2]
  • Dressing in a revealing manner verges on vulgar behavior[2]

Some of the more extreme messages include:

  • Career women might as well cut off their breasts and uterus[2]
  • Ordering takeout is a symbol of unchastity and laziness
  • Having sex with more than three men can lead to disease and death[2]
  • Changing boyfriends will lead to hands and feet ulceration, resulting in amputation[6][9][10]

Some classes attendees have been ordered to use their hands to clean toilets, clean the floor while kneeling, and kneel in front of a Confucius statue to repent for the sin of wearing makeup that is considered to be too heavy.[7][1]

Reaction

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Government officials

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In 2017, education officials shut down an institute that operated female virtue classes under accusations that it violated "socialist core values."[1]

In 2019, China's Ministry of Education banned education groups from teaching a number of topics, including those related to Three Obediences and Four Virtues, fortune-telling and geomancy.[9]

State-owned media have also criticized female virtue classes, denouncing them as being harmful to children.[8]

Organizers

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Groups that have organized female virtue classes have claimed that they are being defamed by online content creators.[5]

Society

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Some web users have criticized female virtue classes as having cult-like properties, as well as being anachronistic.[9]

Some media outlets have noted a certain level of resilience with female virtue classes, in that despite government crackdown, they manage to reopen elsewhere after a forced shutdown.[5]

There is a debate on whether female virtue classes mark a return to feudal Chinese ideas on gender roles rights.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "China closes school 'teaching women to be obedient'". BBC News. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Inside China's 'virtue schools' for women". BBC News. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "BBC中國博客:深入中國「女德」學校" [BBC China Blog: An in-depth look at China's "female virtue" school]. BBC News (in Traditional Chinese). 13 December 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Du, Fangqin (6 May 2020). "古代禮教如何規範女性?" [How does ancient rites treat women?]. Academy of Chinese Studies (in Traditional Chinese). Hong Kong. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Le, Ran (12 April 2017). "培训女奴?抚顺无证"女德班"被解散" [Training female slaves? Fushun's "female virtue class," which has operated without a license, has been disbanded]. Deutsche Welle (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  6. ^ a b Wang, Lijuan (10 December 2018). "換男友爛手腳: 女德班溫州捲土重來 洗腦未成年少女" [Changing boyfriends will result in ulcerated hands and feet: female virtue classes have returned in Wenzhou, brainwashing underage teenage girls]. World Journal (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b 蔡佳妘 (12 December 2018). "換男友會爛手腳、穿太露是叫人來強姦…女德班不只語出驚人,還得跪在孔子像前懺悔化濃妝" [Changing boyfriends will result in ulcerated hands and feet, wearing attires that are too revealing is a call for others to commit rape...female virtue classes feature more than shocking statements, [students] must kneel in front of Confucius to repent for the sin of wearing heavy makeup]. storm.mg (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  8. ^ a b Lin, Baohong (10 December 2018). 陸「女德班」捲土重來 洗腦少女:換男友會爛手腳 [Mainland's "female virtue class" has returned, brainwashing teenage girls: changing boyfriends will lead to ulcerated hands and feet]. TVBS (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  9. ^ a b c Pang, Jing Lum (11 April 2019). "【叫停女德班】教育部禁培訓機構以「國學」為名傳授「三從四德」" [(Stop the female virtue classes) [People's Republic of China's] Department of Education has banned training groups from teaching Three Obediences and Four Virtues under the guise of "national art".]. HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  10. ^ Lin, Ping (2017-12-04). Jia, Hua (ed.). "辽宁抚顺"女德班"被勒令关停" [Female virtue classes in Fushun, Liaoning have been ordered to close]. Radio Free Asia (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2020-07-25.