The early twentieth-century transformations of rural Chinese women’s work have received relatively little direct attention. By contrast, the former custom of footbinding continues to fascinate and is often used to illustrate or contest theories about Chinese women’s status. Arguing that for rural women at least, footbinding needs to be understood in relation to rural economic conditions, the authors focus on changes in textile production and in footbinding in two counties in Shaanxi province. Drawing on historical sources and their own interview data from rural women who grew up in this period, the authors find evidence that transformations in textile production undercut the custom of footbinding and contributed to its rapid demise.

Modern China September 2011, Vol. 37, No. 5

From Chaos to a New Order: Rebellion and Ethnic Regulation in Late Qing Inner Mongolia

By Cecily McCaffrey

Abstract

In November 1891, Jindan, Zaili, and Wushengmen sectarians rose up in revolt in eastern Inner Mongolia, a region where Mongols and Han lived interspersed. The Chinese rebels attacked Mongol banner offices and burned Catholic churches during the month-long rebellion. This uprising is best understood in the context of Qing policies that differentiated between Mongol and Han subjects, privileging the Mongol banner organizations that enjoyed near-exclusive control over land and resources in the area. While the uprising was orchestrated by popular religious sects, the social tensions resulting from Qing administrative practice should be considered the underlying cause of the revolt. Following the rebellion, the Qing court readdressed its policies in the region, with the result that Mongol banner privileges were constrained in favor of Han interests; these changes foreshadowed the reforms of the New Policies period.