I. Introduction.
In ancient China, there has always been a Xi of intermarriage, which is recorded in ancient books and historical sources. So why did the ancients have the phenomenon of intermarriage?Where does its roots come from?
According to the literature, as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, China formed a patriarchal system with patriarchal relations as the core. Under this system, the clan has a very high status and becomes the basic unit that constitutes the state, representing the supreme power. In order to protect the interests of the clan, the clan usually adopts the method of intermarriage, and ensures that property and power are not lost by formulating various marriage norms.
The formation of this Xi is also related to the ancient Chinese advocacy of Zongli. It is believed that the clan is the foundation of the family and the state, and that personal interests should be subordinated to the interests of the clan. Therefore, the orders of the parents and the words of the matchmaker should be carried out unconditionally and not against the wishes of the elders. In addition, the concept of "family match" is deep-rooted, resulting in a very limited space for independent mate selection, and intermarriage between close relatives has become the norm for powerful families.
This formed the Xi of intermarriage among close relatives within the ancient Shi clan. In addition, during the imperial period, the imperial family also formulated various rules to ensure the concentration of power, one of which was that the royal family was only allowed to intermarry with close relatives, and was not allowed to intermarry with foreign clans, which was especially prominent in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Manchu royal family even explicitly stipulated that the Manchu and Han were not allowed to intermarry, and violators were executed. Such a provision is also to ensure the purity and continuity of the royal bloodline.
It can be seen that the root of the intermarriage of close relatives in ancient times was mainly due to the need to safeguard the interests and power of the family. But did the ancients realize the dangers of intermarriage?This requires us to go deeper.
2. Typical cases of consanguineous marriage.
In ancient texts, there is no shortage of records of intermarriage. For example, Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, once said that he wanted to marry his cousin Gillian as his wife, and Jia Baoyu in "Dream of Red Mansions" also fell in love with his cousins Daiyu and Baochai. These are typical cases of consanguineous marriage.
The deeds of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che and Gillian, can be found in "The Story of Han Wu". According to records, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty secretly fell in love with his cousin Gillian when he was a child, thought she was outstanding, and vowed to marry her in the future. After Liu Che ascended the throne, he really married Gillian as the queen.
At that time, both the government and the opposition congratulated him, believing that it was a happy event. First of all, Gillian comes from a prestigious family, which helps to enhance the prestige of the royal family. Secondly, intermarriage within the royal family can consolidate the imperial power and prevent foreign relatives from getting involved in the government. In the end, the subjects also believe that the two have been childhood sweethearts since childhood, and today's marriage is undoubtedly God's arrangement.
Although for today's people, Emperor Wu of Han's move is regarded as a marriage between close relatives, it was not questioned at the time, because the royal marriage was not only reasonable and reasonable, but also conducive to the consolidation of imperial power. Liu Che himself also thinks that this is just a manifestation of deepening the brother-sister relationship, and there is nothing wrong with it.
Tang Wan is the cousin of the great writer Lu You of the Song Dynasty, and the two grew up together. Lu You had a crush on Tang Wan when he was a teenager, and thought she was smart and talented, so he decided to marry her. After Lu Youzhong Jinshi and the second, he married Tang Wan.
At that time, people were proud of this, because the two were close to each other and had similar interests, so it could be said that it was difficult to find a bosom friend and was favored by God. Lu's father was also very pleased with this, and happily agreed to the marriage of the two. Tang's father was also grateful to the Lu family for their kindness, and happily agreed to marry his daughter to Lu You.
Although Lu You and Tang Wan's marriage belonged to the category of intermarriage between close relatives at that time, they lived a very happy life. From this, it can be seen that intermarriage was not considered taboo in ancient times.
Jia Baoyu in "Dream of Red Mansions" has a soft spot for her cousin Lin Daiyu, and the two have been childhood sweethearts since childhood and talk about everything. Lin Daiyu is very smart, and Jia Baoyu is deeply in love with her. Lin Daiyu also has the same feelings for Jia Baoyu, but she is subject to the rules and precepts of the Qing Dynasty and cannot express them publicly.
If it weren't for Lin Daiyu's early death, the two would have been married. In the eyes of the ancients, this is just a good thing for the right person. Jia's mother also expressed her blessings for the relationship between the two. It's just that Lin Daiyu is weak, and this family business is finally over. As can be seen from this case, intermarriage was not considered taboo at the time.
3. Analysis of the reasons why the ancients rarely had deformed children.
It is rare to see deformed children among the offspring born in ancient times, mainly for the following reasons:
The first is chance probability. Most of the "consanguineous marriages" referred to by the ancients were limited to the cousin level and did not involve cousins of the same generation. The genetic similarity between cousins is low, and the probability of having a malformed child is also smaller, about 1 in 4. Moreover, the ancients had many children, and even if there were one or two unhealthy children, they would not attract attention among the many children.
The second is to value the family's reputation. Ancient people attached great importance to the reputation of the family, once a deformed child was born, in order to avoid losing face, the ancients would keep the mourning secret and strangle the sick baby. On the surface, it is secretive, but in fact, the ugliness of the family cannot be publicized.
Again, the survival rate of deformed babies is low. In ancient times, when science and technology were not developed, the survival rate of deformed children was extremely low. Many malformed fetuses are aborted in the mother's womb, and even if the delivery is successful, the newborn will die quickly. The ancients were very secretive about this, and the outside world rarely saw records of deformed children.
In ancient times, medical conditions were very backward, and it was difficult for deformed children to be treated. The rich and noble can only resign themselves to fate. Therefore, the low survival rate is one of the important reasons why deformed children are rare in ancient times.
Fourth, the comparison between the past and the present Looking forward to the future.
Today's attitude is very different from that of ancient times, and consanguineous marriages have long been prohibited by law. Modern medicine has confirmed that intermarriage between close relatives can easily lead to unhealthy offspring. Therefore, it is important to have genetic testing before marriage to avoid the risk of childbirth.
The ancient Xi of intermarriage has become a thing of the past, reflecting the lack of awareness of the ancients. Looking forward to the future, we should advocate a scientific and rational view of marriage and love, and choose the object with the least genetic burden to combine. At the same time, we should also respect every life, so that more healthy babies can be born in this hot land.
The differences between ancient and modern reflect the pace of social progress. We should be grateful for the precious legacy left by our ancestors, maintain an open and inclusive mind, and absorb the essence of human civilization. Only by inheriting the past and embracing the future can we move towards the light together.
Let's work together to lead the new generation with science and create a beautiful new world that respects life!
V. Conclusion. 
In ancient China, there was a Xi of intermarriage, which stemmed from the need to safeguard the interests of the family, and also because the ancients did not understand the harm of intermarriage. However, with the progress of the times, people became aware of the scientific problem of consanguineous marriage, and this Xi gradually withdrew from the stage of history.
The practice of intermarriage between close relatives of the ancients is difficult to accept today, and it reveals the limitations of the lack of scientific guidance in ancient times. Looking forward to the future, we should advocate a scientific and rational view of marriage and love, and choose the object with the least genetic burden to combine. At the same time, we should also respect every life, so that more healthy babies can be born in this hot land.
The differences between ancient and modern reflect the pace of social progress. We should be grateful for the precious legacy left by our ancestors, and we should also maintain an open and inclusive mind and absorb the essence of human civilization. Only by inheriting the past and embracing the future can we move towards the light together.
Let's work together to lead the new generation with science and create a beautiful new world that respects life!