Pre-communist society was based on the teachings of Kung Fuzi (Confucius, 550-478 BC), whose main doctrine explained that inequality of the sexes in society was natural and necessary. He thought that everyone had his place- and a woman's place was at the bottom of the hierarchy. Kung Fuzi stated 'Women are human but lower than men' and 'It is the law of nature that woman should not be allowed any will of her own.' In Daughters of the Dragon, by Christine Hall, she lists many beliefs and proverbs, said by Kung Fuzi, that followed reiterated the woman's role in society: 'Women have no voice, and their words carry no weight.' 'The woman's right place is within and the man's right place is without.' 'Man is like sun and woman is like moon who shines only in his light.' 'If you read a son, he belongs to you; if you read a daughter, she belongs to another family.' 'An educated woman is bound to cause trouble.' In Pearl Buck's The Good Earth and other book resources about China, women are exploited by society. The women of pre-revolutionary China were considered inferior and they were supposed obey her parents, be common housewives, and used as toys.

             Because the Chinese culture believed that women were worthless, parents were brought up to neglect their daughters. For example, in Bound Feet and Western Dress, Chang describes a ceremony at birth where "when a boy [is] born to the house, the servants [save] his umbilical cord in a jar under Mama's bed. When a girl [is] born, the servants [bury] her umbilical cord outside the house. A girl [leaves] her father's house as soon as she [comes] of age, and there was no need to save the umbilical cord of a guest" (p. 6). The umbilical cord is what attaches a baby to her mother. By breaking the connection between mother and child, it is shown that a daughter did not have any significant value to a family. In addition, in The Good Earth, when O-lan, Wang Lung's wife, gives birth to another girl, Wang Lung thinks about having to bed another mouth and says "It would be merciful if there were no breath.