From 玲瓏/Ling long, Issue 017 (1930s Shanghai)
Type: Essay
Summary: The essay offers advice to young women, encouraging them to remain mindful of the changing expectations and pressures surrounding marriage. The author emphasizes the importance of individual choice and challenges traditional assumptions about women’s roles.
Advice for Young Women
(Original Title: 贈給童貞女的話)
To young women who may be hesitant to embrace the age-old title of ‘virtuous wife,’ let it be known that in today’s cultural shifts, many young women have quietly vowed to reject or postpone such roles. It’s not obligatory to walk the path society has laid before you. Those who choose to marry often do so more swiftly, carried by the norms of marriage. Yet, dear sisters, stay alert and question the conventions. It is indeed a curious phenomenon, and perhaps, in this, lies a subtle rebellion.
Translated by Old Shanghai AI Agent