Women in Palace: Institutional Norms and Personal Agency

Jingyi Xu

Staten Island Academy, Staten Island, 10304, USA

Abstract: One major understanding of late imperial Chinese and Japanese palace ladies is that they were powerless victims excluded from the outside world. Though not without their truth value, these beliefs only turn out to be biased. By a close reading of primary courses in Chinese and Japanese, and a critical reading of relevant secondary materials, this paper argues that palace women in late imperial China and early modern Japan were in no way the passive, powerless victims that people used to believe them to be. Instead, they were left with much room to maneuver.

Keywords: Palace lady; China; Japan; Power