ABSTRACT
This chapter explores old and new patriarchies in China and looks at how Chinese patriarchal family structures have been influenced and have influenced Chinese society. For many centuries, Chinese social life revolved around the patriarchal family. In this system, eldest men had the most power in the family and the family itself dominated all other social institutions. Feminist historians have done important research on past family and gender practices that have given us new perspectives on Chinese social life. Because of the centrality of family to the organisation of Chinese society, women’s dominance in family life meant that they had a great deal of influence and played important roles in the society as a whole. For example, the state encouraged the continuing emphasis on collectivism, which was a part of Chinese society for centuries, and resisted processes that strengthened individualistic efforts, which it saw as potentially harmful to the goals of the Revolution.
