It was engrained in the Chinese feudal social system long before

Mao, when Confucius sanctioned the age-old domination of

fathers over daughters and husbands over wives, incorporating it

into the conservative values of Confucianism – with its emphasis

on strong ethics, the importance of family and respect for elders,

and above all a cold and logical approach to man’s problems. Even

at the beginning of the twentieth century Confucius was still the

predominant influence on most Chinese people, and for thousands

of years political power had gone hand in hand with the control

and subjugation of women.