Zuoyuezi' Postpartum Resting Period in Urban China: Con ict between Modern and Tradition

In China, the postpartum resting period is called 'zuoyuezi', where a great range of taboos about food and behavior are prescribed. In this article I focus on internal conflicts experienced by 15 postpartum women dwelling in urban areas of Shanxi Province, after interviewing them about their experiences of zuoyuezi'. Based on this interviewing research the following seven points have been found. (1) In urban areas the place for 'zuoyuezi' can be either a woman's own house, her mother-in-law's, or institutions such as private hospitals or 'yuezi-center'. Recently there is a shift away from the husband's female relatives, such as the mother-in-law, to a professional woman, such as a housekeeper or yuesao, as carers during this resting period. (2) Although most women are dissatisfied with their experiences of 'zuoyuezi', where they meet many constraints, they cannot completely deny the Theory of Chinese Medicine (TCM) centered on resting and curing for postpartum women. (3) Rituals including 'zuoyuezi', which are held during various stages of the postpartum period, are not only done for the sake of physical recovery but are also seen as a rite of passage that functions to transform a postpartum woman's role and social status and bring a readjustment of relationships within her extended family. (4) Traditional norms of 'zuoyuezi'' assume that postpartum women will be looked after by their mother-in-law, but in fact, most women expect the assistance of a professional yuesao or their own mother. (5) Urban women's identities are shifting from that of passive acceptors of traditions to active agents who manage to control their own bodies. (6) Despite the fact that most postpartum women dislike traditional confinement given by their mother-in-law, they obey family members' opinions, especially those of the mother-in-law, in order to establish good relationships with them. (7) Experience of modern medicine during pregnancy and birth makes women choose to have a modernized postpartum resting period. To conclude, urban women in China try to establish confidence in themselves and independence from in-laws through knowledge of modern medicine, while at the same time they expect to establish good relationships with their in-laws by keeping the traditional 'zuoyuezi'.