Ban Zhao

[Gerlinde Goschi]

Like many of the comments above, I, too, was fascinated by the life of “one of the most famous and exemplary women in Chinese history,” as Prof. Yunxiang Yan stated, Ban Zhao.  The seven lessons for women were a bit shocking to me. Just like my colleagues who wrote here, I have not learned about Ban Zhao prior to this course.  Her impact on the history of China is important, especially the lessons for women on female behavior code and virtue. While at first glance they seem outrageous for a woman living in the 21st century, many women in countries and cultures today live by the same virtues.  I would love to combine Ban Zhao’s writing with a research project that inquires about women who live today by these and in what countries?