In Ch’en Tu-hsiu’s “The Way of Confucius and Modern Life,” something I found especially interesting was how the traditional Confucian ideals of women’s participation in politics and society compared with those of modern life. The text emphasized the idea that the movement of women’s participation in politics is also an important element of a woman’s life in modern life. Because Confucian teaching states “To be a woman means to submit,” that “The wife’s words should not travel beyond her own apartment,” and that “A woman does not discuss affairs outside the home,” it was often women unusual for them to participate in politics. Further, because they were bound by these Confucian teachings and women were expected to obey not only their father and husband but also their son, they were unable to form their own political party and make choices for themselves. I also was interested in the idea of women in modern life making their own living in various professions, whereas, in the Confucian way of thinking, the text notes “In giving or receiving anything, a man or woman should not touch the other’s hand,” “A man does not talk about affairs inside [the household] and a woman does not talk about affairs outside [the household],” and “they do not exchange cups except in sacrificial rites and funerals.” Because a married woman is also expected to obey her husband, the wife is supported by the husband is not able to live independently in the Confucian tradition. I thought enjoyed reflecting on the ways in which this text connected to the topics we discussed last week regarding women’s contributions in early China and how often, women’s contributions to society were only seen as important when they had to do with the success of her husband or sons, as was the case with the Mencius’ Mother passage.