The Qing Dynasty poor people's marriage proposal was an unethical choice, and the incense continued to compete with conscience
In recent years, more and more young people choose to play singles and dinks. Compared with having children and grandchildren and having a middle-of-the-road family, they are more willing to live alone or have no children. The reason is that there is a lot of pressure to survive in modern society, and it is difficult to earn money to support yourself, so how to talk about having a partner and raising children?
This is still the case in modern society, let alone the feudal Qing DynastyThe aborigines, in particular, attach great importance to passing on the lineage and preserving the bloodline, so men must marry wives and have children when they grow up. In a patriarchal society, it is better for children to be boys.
But in those days, how could the poor who could not marry pass on their family lineage?Their practices seem incomprehensible and immoral to us today. This practice is called"Inheritance of marriage"。
Taken literally,"Inheritance of marriage"It is a form of marriage in which one of the spouses is granted a lease or lease right. In ancient times, it was the formal institution of marriage, which first appeared in the Han Dynasty. In ancient times, a man who married a wife would rent out his wife in this way and receive money to improve the family environment. The object of recruitment is a person who has money but cannot marry a wife.
This form of marriage was very developed at the time, and there were even middlemen. Both those who want to hire a wife and those who want to hire a wife can go to the intermediary to learn about the appearance, figure, personality and some external conditions of the mortgaged wife. After obtaining the consent of both parents, both parties must sign a contract that clearly stipulates the start and end times, the location of the houses of both parties, the amount, and some details. Once the parties agree on all the details, the tenant hires him"Spouse"Receiving it into your own home is like marrying him.
The duration of the marriage contract is usually three to five years, during which the employed woman is not allowed to return to her former husband's home, but only as a woman"Tenants"The nominal wife lives"Tenants"and have children at home;She must also fulfill this"Obligations"。At the end of the lease period, she will return to her original family, in"Tenants"Children born in the family are not important to her.
Since the original family had employed the woman for several years, she naturally had to pay them a large sum of money. In this way, the original family can get all the money, and the one who can't marry a wife"Tenant farmers"It is also possible to have children. It can be said that everyone is happy. A large amount of money was either given to the husband of the original partner, or used to support the family.
This practice of renting out women as purely reproductive objects is immoral and extremely feudal. Women's wishes are simply not taken into account. In order to pass on the lineage, others can spend money to buy someone who can bear children for him"Wife", which is no different from ** and egg donation, which are banned today.
In the eyes of modern people, this kind of marriage that violates morality and ethics is indeed incomprehensible. This, of course, is a product of the times and a reflection of the social life of the feudal era.
In a society that pays attention to the three principles and five constants, what is the reason for the existence of this kind of marriage?
Living conditions in ancient times were not the same as they are today. Often, something as trivial as a family member getting sick is enough to cause a serious deterioration in the family's financial situation. Therefore, they have to do these unethical things for the sake of money.
Even tenants, regardless of their status, had to marry and have children for various subjective and objective reasons. In the past, it was important to respect honor and status. When a suitor talks about marriage, both parties must be from the same family.
While some people earn money with their own hands, they can't find a suitable partner because their status is too low or demanding. So they widened their scope to find beautiful and virtuous wives who had been hired and bought them for leave"Wife", three or five years can continue the incense.
In addition, there are old times"Three prohibitions"。Therefore, the money in the hands of the poor can be half a lifetime savings, but in order to marry"Wife", which can be three or five years of savings!It may be that they have been married for three or five years"Wife"The only amount of money saved.
This money is enough to hire a wife, but it may be much less than the bride price. Maybe their mentality is that as long as they get married and have children, they will fulfill their filial piety, and it doesn't matter if they don't live well in the rest of their lives. In"Three Platforms and Five Constants"In society, this reason is now called"Defeat in art"。
In the third case, there may be a reason of its own, such as a mental defect that makes it almost impossible for them to find a bride.
Thus, despite the fact that the law prohibits the union of husband and wife, this institution of marriage has remained in feudal society for more than two thousand years.
One of the most unfortunate women, they are treated as property, becomes"Fertility machines"。
At that time, the status of women was very low, and they had no choice but to obey the orders of their husbands. Due to the pressures of their husbands' families or lives, they are forced to do things against their will, enduring pain and intense moral condemnation for many years.
Because of their families, they live in an unfamiliar environment all year round and suffer great mental anguish. Not only that, but after investing a lot of time, energy, and effort, not only did they not see their original child for a long time, but they were also separated forever from the new child they brought into the world.
In fact, in feudal times, women with average economic conditions were the most oppressed.
Human societies have different marriage systems. Some have ethnic characteristics, such as the Mosuo people"Hiking for marriage"。Others are very backward traditions. For example, in feudal society, three wives and four concubines were the most common.
Men have wives and concubines, but women are subject to very strict moral standards, such as:"Three-inch golden lotus"and martyrdom. Similar to what was reported in the news some time ago"Underground marriages"。Compared to them, taking a wife is just a big deal.
This is the poison of feudalism and must be discarded in our modern socialist society. In a modern society that stresses equality between men and women and morality, this backward marriage system can only be written into sociology textbooks as a negative teaching material to warn modern people.