The Women Are Smarter

Wang Xifeng and the capable women of Dream of the Red Chamber

The Women Are Smarter

One of the fascinating things about Dream of the Red Chamber is how the entire Jia family is actually run by women.

It’s not even treated as something unusual. If you read carefully, you’ll notice that it seems natural that the women are making all the important decisions in this novel.

For example, when Xue Pan’s murder case is first alluded to, the men of the house seem unconcerned. Rather, it’s Lady Wang who is eagerly discussing how they should handle the problem:

And that’s not all.