Rape in early China: two case studies

Abstract With the exception of legal texts, surviving records rape in early China have been subject little academic study to date. This is result a number factors, including criminalization both consensual and non-consensual sex outside marriage ancient China, tradition using euphemistic vocabulary refer such topics, considerable variation, depending on time place, as what constitutes discomfort that some very famous men are said committed crimes sexual violence. article examines two well-documented incidents – one concerning woman peacetime, other an instance mass gang during war explore specific challenges studying violence civilizations. Ignoring accounts serves significantly distort our understanding key events Chinese history perverts textual record.