What does Yunxian see as her possibilities for a successful life and for the life of her daughters and all women? Is it possible for her to imagine a future where the status of women is not dictated by tradition?

In a society that both reveres women and keeps them from rising to their potentials, what does Yunxian see as her possibilities for a successful life and for the life of her daughters and all women? Is it possible for Yunxian to see beyond the prison of womanhood, given her illustrious position as a medicant, and imagine a future where the status of women is not dictated by the binding of feet or the roles traditionally associated with being a woman?

Yunxian reflects on her life throughout the book, thus causing the reader to reflect with her in partnership, participating through seeing her successes, one of the biggest of which is the call for her come to the Empress to help with her health issues, and also both her hesitancies and failures, especially from the influence of cultural viewpoints and her family. But this does set off self-conflicts because of her personal friendships and needs, due to these complexities of navigating between tradition and modernity, and in her conflicts between family and her inner self. We also see her self-encouragement to continue to grow her medical knowledge and abilities within these limitations. She hopes that she can provide her daughters and other women with similar opportunities and choices, or at least support them and their decisions as they confront these questions.

I don’t think Yun saw much possibility outside tradition for her daughters or the other women. She did see possibilities for herself —as a doctor for women. I’m not sure why she never had someone (daughter or other),to pass her knowledge on to.

I doubt Yunxian could conceive of a future where tradition did not dictate in some manner towards women.

I think she was looking for ways to exert her own ideas in a male dominated society without be ostracized by that society. Her status as a wife and mother was very important to her, and she found a way to care for her household and others by exerting herself as independently as was possible at the time.

I think Yunxian wanted to believe that her daughters would have a better life. I don’t think she could imagine what we today think is a better life but, she hoped her daughter’s would marry well and be treated with kindness and fairness by their husband’s and their families. She wanted her daughter’s foot bindings to produce the ideal feet to help ensure their prospects. Yuxian did her best in her own pursuits against unfair odds. Her role as a strong woman was a good model for her daughters.

Even today, I think it’s hard, if not impossible, to imagine a time where tradition doesn’t, in some sense, dictate the future. I think it’s more of a matter of tradition evolving into a shape that enhances life, as opposed to crushing it.