Pq. Nla. Even In China Boy Meets Girl-They...
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Even Pq. Nla. China Boy Meets Girl-They Wed Land of New and Ancient Marriage Rites • In By JOHN POWELL Shanghai, China. T HERE i.. no place in the world. . where the tn.titutiOD of marriage hal a wid.r range or greater variety of expre4- lion than In the republic: oi China, Where the dens•. population, con- silting of .ome 200,000,000 mal•• and an equal number of femal••• relide in more or 1••• cona'lant Jus- tapolitioft. From the ultramod.m system of •.mau-marriag.:' or the joining of dozena of coupl.. at one time under omcial auspice. in the occl- d.ntaUzed ports. the mcmi~e CUD- tom varies to the moat primitive forml. including ••spfrtt" marriage. in backward int.rior communiUel. In Canton several y1ltQJ'lago Ihero Walla marriage in a pealont family where a daught.r WQllwed- ded to a tr•• , the luperal1Uou. JICU- •n15 thinking that the .p1r1t of the bridegroom, who had di.d prior ·to the time set for hiI marriage to their daughter, had. laken up i•• pennonent residen<:lt in a tree which WQll.tanding in the yard. Th. widow waa expected to refrain from another marriage and to re- main virtuous for the remainder of her me. Another inlerestlng .pirit mar- riag. CUllom still prevaU. in the Tsangchow .district of Hopei prov- Ince, according to report. of mi.- sionarhlll residing in that area. Here, according to the report, It Wallnot unu.ual for parent. whose IOn had died in infancy, or any time before a marriage could be arranged, to contmet a Ipirlt mar- riag. with a daughter of anoth.r famUy who had dl.d in Infancy. •• • There i. an important reason for thi. .trange cu.tom of .ptrtt mar-- riag... It ia the avenaicmto having unmanied member. of the fcunily buried in the fcunllyburial ground. Negotiationl betw•• n two famme., one having a deeea.ad IOn and the olher a deceaaed daughter, oft.n .xtend over a con.iderable period and are accompanied by ,eWiatic formalitle. which W1ually t a k·. place at regular weddings. In the easel of .pirit marriag", how..,er, the wedding is tmmedl- atsly followed by two funerala. wh.r.ln the bodie. of the deC6Clled are laken to the fcunUy burial ground of the boy'. parenti and interred In formal fOlhlon with the \l.ual accompanimentl, including a band to .upply appropriate me1o- di••. In the mod.mlled clUe., such 01 Shanghai, Canton, Nanking, the new capital, and other plac•• where occidental ideaa and cu.- toms now prevail, the institutions of court.hlp and marriage - and also divoNe";' do not greatly dif- fer from practiCe in Am4trlc:aand Europe. Cons.rvative Chin... el the interior rural di.trict. and vil- lage., however, ehQJ\l1eIlowly cmd habit. of an<:ient times Itl11prevaii An EngUab mi.l1oncuy residing at Taingltlangpu, about 250 mile. north of Shanghai, recently told of A con.,. nNDClDCe IA "eate •• .aam-r, ChlDcmUAlYenlty boy ael tid ,,110 became lluUcaut cmcI wif•• a matrimonial mixup that waa not withoul itl humorous feature.. A bride who·.••• alI being transporled in anci.nt manner in a covored sedan chair to the home of hf'lrhWl- band stopped at a wayside teo- hous. to warm her handl and feet 01 the weather WOl bitterly cold. While .he wa. in the teahouse an- oth.r marriage proceuion came by and the lS~nd brido at.o ent.red the t.ahou... Aiter lOme minutes the partie. .tatted out again. but 01 the sedan chalrs wer. alik., the bride. by mi.take gOI in the wrong chairs. Thre. day. kiter. when the famm•• of the brid•• w.re invited to the homea of the n,ew hueband. for a feaat,' there Wetl general eon- .t.mation wh.n It weu diaeovt'r.d that the bride. were not th.ir own daughters. The mYII.ry finally wa. IOlvecl"hen the chair bearetll explained the .top at the teahouse . Mutual friondl were called in. and after considerable dlsCUllion it wa" decided 10 adopt a '=Ommon-.enae 1I01ution and let the marriage. .land, UtUe glrJa ....-e-cl. th. brld •• IA « procMllon Mio'" the IDOIItrecent ma••• cmI~ In Cato... Irld •• vrooma at I•••• The.e in<:iden" t•• ulted from what I. now tenDed old-.tyle mar- riages, wh.rein the Qfl·angement. were made by parent., who uti- Illed the .emce. of profell1ona1 go-betw.en,. g.omanc.I'lI, and for· tun. ~.ller,. Although .urrounded by much folderol, this type of mat- ing waa a .ort of bu,ine •• tranlae- tion betw.en the parena of the principa!l. neUh.r of whom had enr ,een the other ane! neither being conault.d about the d"lira- blllty qf the mench. Matchmaking und.r the old ar- rangement must ha.,. providGd employment for a con'lderable numher of persona, because all. parent. with marriageable IOna and clought.,.. employed one or mont go-bCltw.eenaor matchmakers. who .hopped czbout town or in neighboring town. for de"lrabl •• mate•. Courtship and marriage und.,r the old lIy.t.m not only w.re ex- penlive but tilled with anxieti•• for botb partie. to tb. match. It often happened that after all n.90- tiationa had been completed by the go·betw.ena IOma fortune t.U.r would forbid the marriage on the ground that th. bridegroom had bun bom in th. year of the lamb whtle the brielCllhad been born in the year of the lion, thul making the marriage impoulble, because the •• Uon" bride would be <*rtaln to devour the .•lamb" husband. or • at JeCIlIt ·ma~. hi. Ufe unbeatable. • • • Aecordlng to ••Th. Book of m.. tory of the Clauh:.:' the Chin•• e race in mythological tim.. lived proml.cuou.ly. children knowing their mothetll but not their fathers. . Lat.r came the submil.lon of one woman or W'Omento one man, ,.. sulUng in porental authority. The llrsl lcnn dealing with marriago were enacted in the Hala and Yin dynOltie.J. These permitted mar- riage betw•• n m'mblJl'lI of the lCIme clan: bllt the later ChOIi dy- naaty '101 tho 4rst to forbid. mQllo riage. b.twoen perwon. having the sam. .urname. In the f.udal po- flod th.re were law. forbidding marriage with five kind. of wom.n: (1) Daught.r of a reb.Woul houn; (2) daught.r of a cl1aofder1yhouse; (3) daught.r of a house producing criminals: (4) daughter of a house haring memP.rs afllicted wi~ lop. 'fOllyor oth.r incurable di.ea..; (5) daughter who had losl her fath.r and eldor brother. Marriage was forbidden during the three yeara A hr •• 11IM para. 01 Jmclo. ClAd Itrldogzooma at tho neeDt CatoD. 1Il_ .-dcUD.tJ, of mourning, and widows were obllgfld to remain lingl •. Th. Manchu dynallty, which pre- ceded the pre••nt republican re- gim., palI••d law. providing th<:rt legal betrothals could be arranged by tho patemel! grandparenta ol the couple; parena of the couple; paternal uncle of the father and his wife; paternal aunt, .ilter of the father;. 41de.t brother; eld.et .Ister; maternal grandpar.nt •. • • • Senre penalU.. were exacted In the event the go-betwflona miz- repre•• nted the brld. or bride· groom; hence the marrlag& con- tract arranged by tho go-between and ultlJnately 11gned by Ihe re- ipec:tivo Par.nts referred in d.tall to any bl.mlahe. or phyaical infir- mitiee of the bride or bridegroom, their 0;.', if eUher had been born of a concubine. and if .Ither had b~n adopted. U ev.n a delCrlp- tion '11'0. found to be fmudu1ent the marriage could be annulled. Th.re were three •••• nUal con- ditions to a mcmiage--a contract 119n.d by tho parenti or guardian; acceplance of wedding gifts by tho brid.'. family; hringinll of the bride to the bridegroom'. hou... After the go-betweons had mad. tho pre. limlnary arrang.m.n15 it WeDthen cuttomary for the boy'. parent. to make a formal off.r of marriage to tho brid.'s parent., which eonsti- tIded the marriage contract. Th.n followed a "fi.it to the geomancer or fortune t.U.r to •• l.ct a lucky day. reel wore in proportton to the wealth and aodci1 (official) pe- lition 01 the re.pec:tive fcunW••• hence an inadequate f•• might reo ,ult in an unfavorable deei.aion by the fortune t.U.r. A month before tho ~arriag. Ii .••• 01 cu.tomary forthe bridegroom', famUy to .end to the bride'. fcunUy the material for the brid.'. dre•• , pre••ntl ofmon.y, Iilb. win•• , and cake. of ceremony. A few days prior to the marriag. date the MaM weddmga bUY' become popular iA WHtembled dU •• 01 Cb1D.ct-it'. mcdAly CII ~atter of 10" coot. H.re cmt the bridal coupLe, Dei « 133-year- old wilD••• of C!WICI·. f1IlIt IIlCllNl weddiAg. aolelllD.kod ill HGD.fcbow, (P•••• "- PowlllL) bride'. dowry, iroUlSeau, and fur- nitur•• together withgiftl from rela- Uvea and fri.nds. were carried to. the bridegroom's house. In the Shanghai di.trict It otten WOl cu.- tomary 10 •• nd along two Uv. g••••• On the ev. of the wedding the bride WOl expected to put up her hair, try on her bridal garm.nts, Ught incense before the .family an- c:eetral tablell, ane! kneel before MCII'CIdIlg ill couple.. tbe bricl•• ClAd)'dtl89fOCllUbead lor the cere- meDIal Meave. h.r parenti. grandparents, and •• nior relative •. Tho ritual of the wedding day had to be etrictly ob••rved. .ven to the tune. to be played by the attending mu.ician. while the bride Wall bathing and donning h.,. marriage clothe., the outer gar- ments invariably being red, with .mbrold.r.d dragon.. A heavy v.n compl.tely co•• red h.r face and head. A fri.nd of the bride- groom bearing a letter, regarded QI a' marriage certificate, arrived to elCOrt th. bride to the home of the bridegroom. Firecrack.rs were .et off CIa .he loft the door of h.r home and ••ntered tho Iedan c:tlalr, .All merobe,. of the family w.pt. Th. bride's brothers walked be.ide tho chai... which alway. Wall cov- .red with .mbroidered red cloth. Ther. w.re more flr~clt.1'lI upon the arrival of the pro.ceuion at the bridegroom'l house. Th8 chair WOl carritld dir.c:t1y into the reception room, where a amol1boy llfted tho covering and in"fited the briele to descend. meanwhile hold- ing a mirror in f.rontof the bride In ord.r that she might IMpact her- .eU. Th. bride WOl th.n escorted to I\.r room, where .he Jot by the lid. of the bridegroom on the edge of the bed, thu. parmitting the bridegroom for the first time to look upon the fac:. of his beiOYed. It was hil prlvU.ge to unfasten thlt girdl. which .he had worn from chiidhood about her breaats, often so tight CD to prevent th.lr normal growth. Lute,. the two proceeded lepa- rately to a reception room. wher" th.y .tood before the bridegroom'. ance.lral tabletl, and afle.. obei- sance to the godl and each oth.r th.y drank a mixture of wine and hon.y from gobl.... tied together wUh red .Uk thread. then ox- changed CUp' and drank again. Then followed a feaut, at which the bride wa. nol expected to eat. It waa h.r. that h.r veil waa lifted. permlttirlg relativ•• , Ittendt. and the s:niliUcto criticize her appear- ance and make all type. of joke., u.ually unprintabl.. . On the third day the couple visited the bride's family. where they alao worshiped at the anceatral tablets. Aft.r the tenth day tb. bride could .,illit her par.nUl alon•. Child betrothal. were common In the Manchu reglm., but when the republic 'WQI elitabllibed (911) a law was paused forbidding mar· in red .ilk lack.ta and akim, and the ledan chair would b. altogeth. er too dangerous for Shangha1'. cong.ated trallc. Inlltead a mod. er". ,American QutomobHe .~rves the purpoM 'W lIh a few ribbon•. and garlcmdl of flow.rs. indicating it. objective. Also th.re are (to more week-long cel.bration • ...uh guo.1I occupying themsel v.. i~' 81tcesaive oating and drinking, "oday one banquet usually suffic.,. Also to- day the bride cl.reuo. in a otand- arcl wedding gown, wears a veil. <:UIrle. a bouquet, and i. attended by bridesmaid. and Dower 'lirlm. ••e Th. \n.titutlon of •.malll mar- riage" Wall invented to cut down the exc.lIlvely high co.t of mar- . riag.. which worked a hardship on the rank and file. Popularlly of the man-wedding icl.a, which re- d\lcelJ the COI.lt of marriage. to, a min1mum (average about $6 a couple), u shown by the fact that 1,087' coupl.s w. r• married at Shanghai edone in 1936. Thirteon sueh pubUc ceremonle. have hoen held. Sbould China over .ucceed in obtaining t u 11 IOverelgnty, thul making h.r divoroe laws iegal for all nationaliti.s, U probably would. be nece••ary 10 r lrana - Pacifia stecune'" to greatly increaa. their .ervic... The reOion I. that China apparontly hae outdone Rono, Mex- ico City. and. Pari. for limplicity of diVorce. Adultery. pnrvloualy megal for Mod ••• ChlD.cr t\anUItUm out thua. A bride ad brid •••. oo. who "ere "edded ill a C1Iriada church. riage before the age of 18 for men and 16 for women. While much mocl1ficatlonof an- cient CUltoml occurred of"r tho 1911 revolution. which de.noYed the Manchu dynaaty. mo.t ciraalic <:hange. followed the Nationallat revolution of 1921. e•• In the modern1&edport. and <:it- iel. lucb CII Shanghai, Canton, and Nanking, it now has become a c:use of the traditional four Btag•••.•. boy meets girl. boy falls in love with girl, boy coura girl, and boy get. girl-in thi. <:ClIO the boy and girl may be .tudentl in the same co- edueatlonal college or uniTersity. Th. pr••• nt-day Nationa11lt iead- er.. partlc:ularly Gen. Chiang Kat- Illek and hi. wife, the form.r M.i- ling Soong. Wene.ley graduat •. have dono ml,lch to modernize the marriage CUltOmlof anci.nt China. . No longer doel the bride dr••• wermenonly, ia DOW illegal for both se:ces, the r•• u1tof a dramatic legal battle before the legislative Yuan in Nanking by the Chine.e wom- en'. club.. Polygamy also I. lUo- gal and. with adultery, conatltutos valid grounda for' divorce. Th. law of China it omlnou.ly lilent on the subject of concubin- age. The reason for thl. signU- icant omluion i. that the practice it quito g.neral cunong the w.al- thi.r cia..... On. won known Chine.. merchant, high offic:ialof a chamber iGf comm.t(» at Shanq- hai, 11 laid tQ have 3S children re- sulting from one 'Wifoand a half dolen coftcubinll•. While the subject of concubinage it ignored in the cint cod.. !hiD do.. not mean that concubin•• and their ehidren hene no legal ltatua. COA. frequently come up in tho court. involving claim. of concubines Glnd their childr.n for participation in the division of es- tat.. and usually luch claim. are allowed by the courts. Claim. of coneubin••.••• om. eightoen of them -belonging to a famoul North Chi- na general nam,ed Marshal Chcu" Chung-cnang kept the natlv. COurtlll of Tisntlin busy for •• veral yec:ira. Recently th.re Wetl a •• n.ation in ecluc:'Otionalcircle. at Shanghai wh.n Or. Tai Shuan-ehlu. dean of the Ic:hool of education of Great China univeraity, obtain.d a di- vorce from hilt wUe on the l.llOund that •. he r.fused to wear native woven cloth and inslated upon buy- ing lmported material.. It de- n••• two wer. ".elclecllD. gTCIld occicl.IltCll ltile IA a Sllagbcrl bote!. v.1oJ)6d h. had prevloueJy divorced the lOme wlle- on .lmllar grounds a year prevloueJy, but had remar- ried h.r upon h.r promise to Weal' nati.e materia". tat.r the profe,- IIOt announc.d b. had found th•• ••girl of hia cl.rearnl," a .tudent in tb. university, who had promiaed to Weat eirene. mad. 01 native rather than imported fabriCl. It i. not infrequent in Shanghai that adv"rtiam.nt. appear in the papell announcing that ao-and-oo, IOn or daughter of IO-and-IO. re· fUBedto mCUT'Y th. person sel.cted by the parents and declared ~ (or h.r) intention of mcmying the par- son of hi. chol",., evidence that the new •.boy m•• tl girl" lyat.1I1 hall invaded China and i. dilj:llac- . ing the anetent ••light and un· .een" matrimonial m.thods of the ance.tors. " Dr, Ted Slula-c:hiu. 8JacmgW eel- ucotot. cmcI his de. "hom ••• twice cI1'roJcecl becCNM abe .IA- alatecl llpoG weartq ganllutll .ad.e of IMportocI fcdJrICllIo
Transcript of Pq. Nla. Even In China Boy Meets Girl-They...
EvenPq. Nla.
China Boy Meets Girl-They WedLand of New and Ancient
Marriage Rites
•InBy JOHN POWELL
Shanghai, China.
THERE i.. no place in theworld. .where the tn.titutiODof marriage hal a wid.r
range or greater variety of expre4-lion than In the republic: oi China,Where the dens •. population, con-silting of .ome 200,000,000 mal••and an equal number of femal•••relide in more or 1••• cona'lant Jus-tapolitioft.From the ultramod.m system of
•.mau-marriag.:' or the joining ofdozena of coupl.. at one timeunder omcial auspice. in the occl-d.ntaUzed ports. the mcmi~e CUD-tom varies to the moat primitiveforml. including ••spfrtt" marriage.in backward int.rior communiUel.In Canton several y1ltQJ'lago
Ihero Walla marriage in a pealontfamily where a daught.r WQllwed-ded to a tr•• , the luperal1Uou. JICU-
• n15 thinking that the .p1r1t of thebridegroom, who had di.d prior ·tothe time set for hiI marriage totheir daughter, had. laken up i••pennonent residen<:lt in a treewhich WQll .tanding in the yard.Th. widow waa expected to refrainfrom another marriage and to re-main virtuous for the remainder ofher me.Another inlerestlng .pirit mar-
riag. CUllom still prevaU. in theTsangchow .district of Hopei prov-Ince, according to report. of mi.-sionarhlll residing in that area.Here, according to the report, ItWall not unu.ual for parent. whoseIOn had died in infancy, or anytime before a marriage could bearranged, to contmet a Ipirlt mar-riag. with a daughter of anoth.rfamUy who had dl.d in Infancy.
•••There i. an important reason for
thi. .trange cu.tom of .ptrtt mar--riag... It ia the avenaicmto havingunmanied member. of the fcunilyburied in the fcunlly burial ground.Negotiationl betw •• n two famme.,one having a deeea.ad IOn and theolher a deceaaed daughter, oft.n.xtend over a con.iderable periodand are accompanied by ,eWiaticformalitle. which W1ually t a k·.place at regular weddings.In the easel of .pirit marriag",
how..,er, the wedding is tmmedl-atsly followed by two funerala.wh.r.ln the bodie. of the deC6Clledare laken to the fcunUy burialground of the boy'. parenti andinterred In formal fOlhlon with the\l.ual accompanimentl, including aband to .upply appropriate me1o-di••.In the mod.mlled clUe., such 01
Shanghai, Canton, Nanking, thenew capital, and other plac ••where occidental ideaa and cu.-toms now prevail, the institutionsof court.hlp and marriage - andalso divoNe";' do not greatly dif-fer from practiCe in Am4trlc:aandEurope. Cons.rvative Chin... elthe interior rural di.trict. and vil-lage., however, ehQJ\l1eIlowly cmdhabit. of an<:ient times Itl11prevaiiAn EngUab mi.l1oncuy residing
at Taingltlangpu, about 250 mile.north of Shanghai, recently told of
A con.,. nNDClDCeIA "eate ••.aam-r, ChlDcmUAlYenlty boyael tid ,,110 became lluUcaut
cmcI wif ••
a matrimonial mixup that waa notwithoul itl humorous feature.. Abride who· .•••alI being transporledin anci.nt manner in a covoredsedan chair to the home of hf'lrhWl-band stopped at a wayside teo-hous. to warm her handl and feet01 the weather WOl bitterly cold.While .he wa. in the teahouse an-oth.r marriage proceuion came byand the lS~nd brido at.o ent.redthe t.ahou... Aiter lOme minutesthe partie. .tatted out again. but01 the sedan chalrs wer. alik., thebride. by mi.take gOI in the wrongchairs. Thre. day. kiter. when thefamm•• of the brid •• w.re invitedto the homea of the n,ew hueband.for a feaat,' there Wetl general eon-.t.mation wh.n It weu diaeovt'r.dthat the bride. were not th.ir owndaughters. The mYII.ry finallywa. IOlvecl"hen the chair bearetllexplained the .top at the teahouse .Mutual friondl were called in. andafter considerable dlsCUllion it wa"decided 10 adopt a '=Ommon-.enae1I01ution and let the marriage..land,
UtUe glrJa ....-e-cl. th. brld •• IA «procMllon Mio'" the IDOIItrecentma••• cmI~ In Cato... Irld ••
vrooma at I••••
The.e in<:iden" t••ulted fromwhat I. now tenDed old-.tyle mar-riages, wh.rein the Qfl·angement.were made by parent., who uti-Illed the .emce. of profell1ona1go-betw.en,. g.omanc.I'lI, and for·tun. ~.ller,. Although .urroundedby much folderol, this type of mat-ing waa a .ort of bu,ine •• tranlae-tion betw.en the parena of theprincipa!l. neUh.r of whom hadenr ,een the other ane! neitherbeing conault.d about the d"lira-blllty qf the mench.Matchmaking und.r the old ar-
rangement must ha.,. providGdemployment for a con'lderablenumher of persona, because all.parent. with marriageable IOnaand clought.,.. employed one ormont go-bCltw.eenaor matchmakers.who .hopped czbout town or inneighboring town. for de"lrabl ••mate •.Courtship and marriage und.,r
the old lIy.t.m not only w.re ex-penlive but tilled with anxieti ••for botb partie. to tb. match. Itoften happened that after all n.90-tiationa had been completed by thego·betw.ena IOma fortune t.U.rwould forbid the marriage on theground that th. bridegroom hadbun bom in th. year of the lambwhtle the brielCllhad been born inthe year of the lion, thul makingthe marriage impoulble, becausethe ••Uon" bride would be <*rtalnto devour the .•lamb" husband. or
• at JeCIlIt·ma~. hi. Ufe unbeatable.
•• •Aecordlng to ••Th. Book of m..
tory of the Clauh:.:' the Chin•• erace in mythological tim.. livedproml.cuou.ly. children knowingtheir mothetll but not their fathers. .Lat.r came the submil.lon of onewoman or W'Omento one man, ,..sulUng in porental authority. Thellrsl lcnn dealing with marriagowere enacted in the Hala and YindynOltie.J. These permitted mar-riage betw •• n m'mblJl'lI of thelCIme clan: bllt the later ChOIi dy-naaty '101 tho 4rst to forbid. mQlloriage. b.twoen perwon. having thesam. .urname. In the f.udal po-flod th.re were law. forbiddingmarriage with five kind. of wom.n:(1) Daught.r of a reb.Woul houn;(2) daught.r of a cl1aofder1yhouse;(3) daught.r of a house producingcriminals: (4) daughter of a househaring memP.rs afllicted wi~ lop.'fOllyor oth.r incurable di.ea..; (5)daughter who had losl her fath.rand eldor brother. Marriage wasforbidden during the three yeara
A hr •• 11IM para. 01 Jmclo. ClAdItrldogzooma at tho neeDt CatoD.
1Il_ .-dcUD.tJ,
of mourning, and widows wereobllgfld to remain lingl •.
Th. Manchu dynallty, which pre-ceded the pre •• nt republican re-gim., palI•• d law. providing th<:rtlegal betrothals could be arrangedby tho patemel! grandparenta olthe couple; parena of the couple;paternal uncle of the father andhis wife; paternal aunt, .ilter ofthe father;. 41de.t brother; eld.et.Ister; maternal grandpar.nt •.
• ••Senre penalU.. were exacted
In the event the go-betwflona miz-repre •• nted the brld. or bride·groom; hence the marrlag& con-tract arranged by tho go-betweenand ultlJnately 11gned by Ihe re-ipec:tivo Par.nts referred in d.tallto any bl.mlahe. or phyaical infir-mitiee of the bride or bridegroom,their 0;.', if eUher had been bornof a concubine. and if .Ither hadb~n adopted. U ev.n a delCrlp-tion '11'0. found to be fmudu1ent themarriage could be annulled.Th.re were three •••• nUal con-
ditions to a mcmiage--a contract119n.d by tho parenti or guardian;acceplance of wedding gifts by thobrid.'. family; hringinll of the brideto the bridegroom'. hou... Afterthe go-betweons had mad. tho pre.limlnary arrang.m.n15 it WeDthencuttomary for the boy'. parent. tomake a formal off.r of marriage totho brid.'s parent., which eonsti-tIded the marriage contract. Th.nfollowed a "fi.it to the geomanceror fortune t.U.r to •• l.ct a luckyday. reel wore in proportton tothe wealth and aodci1 (official) pe-lition 01 the re.pec:tive fcunW•••hence an inadequate f•• might reo,ult in an unfavorable deei.aion bythe fortune t.U.r.A month before tho ~arriag. Ii
.•••01 cu.tomary for the bridegroom',famUy to .end to the bride'. fcunUythe material for the brid.'. dre•• ,pre •• ntl of mon.y, Iilb. win•• , andcake. of ceremony. A few daysprior to the marriag. date the
MaM weddmga bUY' become popular iA WHtembled dU •• 01 Cb1D.ct-it'. mcdAly CII ~atter of 10" coot. H.re cmt the bridal coupLe, Dei « 133-year-old wilD••• of C!WICI·. f1IlIt IIlCllNl weddiAg. aolelllD.kod ill HGD.fcbow, (P•••• "- PowlllL)
bride'. dowry, iroUlSeau, and fur-nitur•• together withgiftl from rela-Uvea and fri.nds. were carried to.the bridegroom's house. In theShanghai di.trict It otten WOl cu.-tomary 10 •• nd along two Uv.g •••••On the ev. of the wedding the
bride WOl expected to put up herhair, try on her bridal garm.nts,Ught incense before the .family an-c:eetral tablell, ane! kneel before
MCII'CIdIlg ill couple.. tbe bricl••ClAd)'dtl89fOCllUbead lor the cere-
meDIal Meave.
h.r parenti. grandparents, and•• nior relative •.Tho ritual of the wedding day
had to be etrictly ob•• rved. .vento the tune. to be played by theattending mu.ician. while thebride Wall bathing and donningh.,. marriage clothe., the outer gar-ments invariably being red, with.mbrold.r.d dragon.. A heavyv.n compl.tely co•• red h.r faceand head. A fri.nd of the bride-groom bearing a letter, regardedQI a' marriage certificate, arrivedto elCOrt th. bride to the home ofthe bridegroom. Firecrack.rs were.et off CIa .he loft the door of h.rhome and ••ntered tho Iedan c:tlalr,.All merobe,. of the family w.pt.Th. bride's brothers walked be.idetho chai... which alway. Wall cov-.red with .mbroidered red cloth.Ther. w.re more flr~clt.1'lI
upon the arrival of the pro.ceuionat the bridegroom'l house. Th8chair WOl carritld dir.c:t1y into thereception room, where a amol1boyllfted tho covering and in"fited thebriele to descend. meanwhile hold-ing a mirror in f.rontof the bride Inord.r that she might IMpact her-.eU. Th. bride WOl th.n escortedto I\.r room, where .he Jot by thelid. of the bridegroom on the edgeof the bed, thu. parmitting thebridegroom for the first time to lookupon the fac:. of his beiOYed. Itwas hil prlvU.ge to unfasten thltgirdl. which .he had worn fromchiidhood about her breaats, often
so tight CD to prevent th.lr normalgrowth.Lute,. the two proceeded lepa-
rately to a reception room. wher"th.y .tood before the bridegroom'.ance.lral tabletl, and afle.. obei-sance to the godl and each oth.rth.y drank a mixture of wine andhon.y from gobl.... tied togetherwUh red .Uk thread. then ox-changed CUp' and drank again.Then followed a feaut, at which thebride wa. nol expected to eat. Itwaa h.r. that h.r veil waa lifted.permlttirlg relativ •• , Ittendt. andthe s:niliUcto criticize her appear-ance and make all type. of joke.,u.ually unprintabl.. .On the thirdday the couple visited the bride'sfamily. where they alao worshipedat the anceatral tablets. Aft.r thetenth day tb. bride could .,illit herpar.nUl alon •.Child betrothal. were common In
the Manchu reglm., but when therepublic 'WQI elitabllibed (911) alaw was paused forbidding mar·
in red .ilk lack.ta and akim, andthe ledan chair would b. altogeth.er too dangerous for Shangha1'.cong.ated trallc. Inlltead a mod.er". ,American QutomobHe .~rvesthe purpoM 'W lIh a few ribbon •. andgarlcmdl of flow.rs. indicating it.objective. Also th.re are (to moreweek-long cel.bration • ...uh guo.1Ioccupying themsel v.. i~' 81tcesaiveoating and drinking, "oday onebanquet usually suffic.,. Also to-day the bride cl.reuo. in a otand-arcl wedding gown, wears a veil.<:UIrle.a bouquet, and i. attendedby bridesmaid. and Dower 'lirlm.
• • e
Th. \n.titutlon of •.malll mar-riage" Wall invented to cut downthe exc.lIlvely high co.t of mar-
. riag.. which worked a hardship onthe rank and file. Popularlly ofthe man-wedding icl.a, which re-d\lcelJ the COI.ltof marriage. to, amin1mum (average about $6 acouple), u shown by the fact that1,087' coupl.s w. r • married atShanghai edone in 1936. Thirteonsueh pubUc ceremonle. have hoenheld.Sbould China over .ucceed in
obtaining t u 11 IOverelgnty, thulmaking h.r divoroe laws iegal forall nationaliti.s, U probably would.be nece •• ary 10 r lrana - Pacifiastecune'" to greatly increaa. their.ervic... The reOion I. that Chinaapparontly hae outdone Rono, Mex-ico City. and. Pari. for limplicity ofdiVorce.Adultery. pnrvloualy megal for
Mod ••• ChlD.crt\anUItUm out thua. A bride ad brid •••. oo. who "ere"edded ill a C1Iriada church.
riage before the age of 18 for menand 16 for women.While much mocl1ficatlon of an-
cient CUltoml occurred of"r tho1911 revolution. which de.noYedthe Manchu dynaaty. mo.t ciraalic<:hange. followed the Nationallatrevolution of 1921.
e • •In the modern1&edport. and <:it-
iel. lucb CII Shanghai, Canton, andNanking, it now has become a c:useof the traditional four Btag•••.•.boymeets girl. boy falls in love withgirl, boy coura girl, and boy get.girl-in thi. <:ClIO the boy and girlmay be .tudentl in the same co-edueatlonal college or uniTersity.Th. pr ••• nt-day Nationa11lt iead-
er.. partlc:ularly Gen. Chiang Kat-Illek and hi. wife, the form.r M.i-ling Soong. Wene.ley graduat •.have dono ml,lch to modernize themarriage CUltOmlof anci.nt China.. No longer doel the bride dr•••
wermen only, ia DOWillegal for bothse:ces, the r•• u1tof a dramatic legalbattle before the legislative Yuanin Nanking by the Chine.e wom-en'. club.. Polygamy also I. lUo-gal and. with adultery, conatltutosvalid grounda for' divorce.Th. law of China it omlnou.ly
lilent on the subject of concubin-age. The reason for thl. signU-icant omluion i. that the practiceit quito g.neral cunong the w.al-thi.r cia..... On. won knownChine.. merchant, high offic:ial ofa chamber iGf comm.t(» at Shanq-hai, 11 laid tQ have 3S children re-sulting from one 'Wifoand a halfdolen coftcubinll•.While the subject of concubinage
it ignored in the cint cod.. !hiDdo.. not mean that concubin ••and their ehidren hene no legalltatua. COA. frequently come upin tho court. involving claim. ofconcubines Glnd their childr.n forparticipation in the division of es-
tat.. and usually luch claim. areallowed by the courts. Claim. ofconeubin ••.••• om. eightoen of them-belonging to a famoul North Chi-na general nam,ed Marshal Chcu"Chung-cnang kept the natlv. COurtlllof Tisntlin busy for •• veral yec:ira.Recently th.re Wetl a •• n.ation
in ecluc:'Otionalcircle. at Shanghaiwh.n Or. Tai Shuan-ehlu. dean ofthe Ic:hool of education of GreatChina univeraity, obtain.d a di-vorce from hilt wUe on the l.llOundthat •.he r.fused to wear nativewoven cloth and inslated upon buy-ing lmported material.. It de-
n•••two wer. ".elclecllD. gTCIldoccicl.IltCll ltile IA a Sllagbcrl
bote!.
v.1oJ)6dh. had prevloueJy divorcedthe lOme wlle- on .lmllar groundsa year prevloueJy, but had remar-ried h.r upon h.r promise to Weal'nati.e materia". tat.r the profe,-IIOt announc.d b. had found th••••girl of hia cl.rearnl," a .tudent intb. university, who had promiaedto Weat eirene. mad. 01 nativerather than imported fabriCl.It i. not infrequent in Shanghai
that adv"rtiam.nt. appear in thepapell announcing that ao-and-oo,IOn or daughter of IO-and-IO. re·fUBedto mCUT'Y th. person sel.ctedby the parents and declared ~ (orh.r) intention of mcmying the par-son of hi. chol",., evidence thatthe new •.boy m•• tl girl" lyat.1I1hall invaded China and i. dilj:llac- .ing the anetent ••light and un·.een" matrimonial m.thods of theance.tors.
"Dr, Ted Slula-c:hiu. 8JacmgW eel-ucotot. cmcI his de. "hom •••twice cI1'roJcecl becCNM abe .IA-alatecl llpoG weartq ganllutll
.ad.e of IMportocI fcdJrICllIo
