War Captives, Left-Behind Wives, and Buddhist Nuns: Female Migrants in Early Medieval China (4th–6th Century CE). Issue 2 (July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Wen-Yi
• Editors: Barbieri-Low, Anthony J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of Chinese history. Volume 5:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 227
• Page End: 244
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Subjects: gender -- migration -- early medieval China -- Buddhism; China -- History -- Periodicals; 951.005
• DOI: 10.1017/jch.2021.1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2059-1632

Abstract

Abstract: Using received texts and excavated funerary epitaphs, this article examines the intricacies of gender and migration in early medieval China by exploring women's long-distance mobility from the fourth century to the sixth century, when what is now known as China was divided by the Northern Wei and a succession of four southern states—the Eastern Jin, Liu-Song, Southern Qi, and Liang. I focus on three types of migration in which women participated during this period: war-induced migration, family reunification, and religious journeys. Based on this analysis, I propose answers to two important questions: the connection between migration and the state, and textual representations of migrants. Though the texts under consideration are usually written in an anecdotal manner, the references to women, I argue, both reveals nuances in perceptions of womanhood at the time and elucidates the contexts within—and through—which long-distance travel became possible for women.