Max ReiffConfucian classics“The personification of ancient Chinese women by the Shijing”The Shijing or Book of Odes is a collection of poems from ancient China, dating back to the 10th century BC The Odes they served many purposes: to refine culture, to provide a shared body of knowledge, and to comment on legendary history. The Odes were also used as currency for official speeches, a guide for ethical training and as a teaching tool for schools. The Book of Odes is the richest and most authentic source of social life in ancient China, serving as a common thread that binds all men together. In Analects VIII.8, Confucius refers to Shijing as the foundation of all education; it is only after being awakened by the Songs that one can advance to ritual and music. Once again, in Analects XVII.9 Confucius praises the Songs for their social, educational and political usefulness. (Samia, 44) The Book of Odes served as an educational foundation, from which an individual's social disposition developed. Despite the Odes' beneficial contribution to ancient Chinese society, they served as a harmful force that deprived women of their rights and freedoms in ancient times. China, providing a repressive and deprecatory stereotype of women. Several poems in the Book of Odes vividly describe women as an inferior subhuman race, revealing the turmoil that followed as women gained sufficient knowledge or influence in ancient Chinese society. Some Odes go beyond telling stories and provide vengeful guidelines for the treatment and management of women. Despite many of the dehumanizing projections of women in the Odes, some in particular illustrate ancient Chinese women as highly emotional beings who possessed feelings and emotions... at the center of the card... respect for women, which almost appears as a dehumanization of gender female. A striking aspect of Shijing is its ability to capture all dimensions of society. It contains not only the thoughts of noble men and kings. It contains the thoughts, beliefs and desires of all men and women. “Boat of Cypress” is a powerful ode that confirms the multifaceted nature of Shijing. “Boat of Cypress” shows one woman's response to oppressive Chinese culture. She points out that ancient Chinese women possessed feelings and were actually human beings, who resented the way they were treated by society and often wanted to escape from their lives. The Shijing is a multi-faceted historical text, offering insights into all aspects of ancient Chinese society. The Shijing is an invaluable text that presents ancient China for what it really was, a society dominated by patriarchy.