[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Asian Countries
Japanese Woman:
For centuries Japanese women, wrapped in silk kimonos, their black hair swept up with lacquered combs, minced along three steps behind their husbands. Heads bowed, they had a reputation for being devoted, demure, gracious, thoughtful, and self-sacrificing. They still do.
Nursing homes are few in Japan, as are "senior citizen" communities. Responsibility for the old and sick belongs to the first son (in theory) and to his wife (in practice).
It is the wife's obligation to care for her husband's parents even more than for her own, because, as in feudal days, once she marries, she joins her husband's family register.
All this caretaking may be onerous, but in Japan it is a woman's duty. To the Japanese, "duty," "honor," and "obligation" are not hollow words. In Japan carrying a burden is an honorable act. Women are encouraged to be patient, persevering, and self-sacrificing. The person who endures is considered morally superior to the person who makes her endure.
Chinese Woman:
The first half of the twentieth century was a period of enormous change, as well as powerful resistance to change. As part of the change, Chinese intellectuals began to reevaluate every aspect of China's history. The history of Chinese women was part of this trend, both as a new field of historical study and as an integral part of the questioning and rejection of many of the values of Confucian society in favor of the new ideals of individual freedom and equality.
Many of these pioneer studies remain of value for their solid research, breadth of learning, and stimulating interpretations, including some that have since fallen from fashion and now deserve serious reconsideration. As part of both the intellectual and social changes, Chinese women began to write about their own lives in unprecedented numbers and with unprecedented frankness.
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