In the old days, child brides were very popular in China. The so-called child brides-in-law are those who are raised by people from childhood, and when they grow up, they will become the daughters-in-law of the person's family. The reason for the prevalence of child brides is that the society at that time was very poor and backward, and the lives of the people were very low, in order to save trouble and expenses, child brides were popular.
So, how did these ancient child brides-in-law survive? The reality may be different from what you think.
In the Song Dynasty, the upper class society was popular for young children to marry. According to the "Biography of the Later Concubines of Song", Empress Yingzong of Song was raised in the imperial palace at a young age, and Yingzong was also in the palace at this time, and in the same year as the empress, Emperor Renzong said that "the other day will be a match", and when they grew up, the two married and gave birth to the Shenzong.
This situation was also common in the Jin Dynasty at the same time, and it is recorded in the "Biography of Jin Shi hou concubines": Jin Shizong once said: "When he was four or five years old, he was engaged to the empress. ”
Such a situation is not only seen in the royal family, but also in the folk. In the Song Dynasty, under the influence of marriage and wealth and the custom of marrying children and children, child brides-in-law gradually became popular and became a folk custom.
According to the Yuan Shi Penal Chronicle, "All unmarried men and women who were raised as children were transferred to their slaves, flogged fifty-seven, and the women returned to the sect." Do not pursue money. "Child brides" were seen in formal laws and became a social problem, which was reflected in the Song and Yuan dynasties, when the child bridesmaid business had become a social custom.
So, what are the benefits of adopting a child and a daughter-in-law for both families?
In the Qing Dynasty, many places had some conventional rules for child brides, such as the need for women to accompany the dowry. In the Jiangnan region, there are clear regulations that female families are not allowed to ask for any courtesy money from male families, and female families do not need to accompany the dowry.
For the male family, the child bride not only saves a fortune, but also adds a cheap labor force. For the female family, giving the daughter to a child bride not only relieves the burden of raising her, but also does not have to bother with the dowry for the daughter when she grows up. This is also a rescue method for ordinary people, especially for some poor people.
So, what kind of life does the child bride live in the man's home?
Child bridesmaids, also known as daughters-in-law or daughters-in-law. Ming said that she was a daughter-in-law, but in fact she was a slave.
Once these child brides enter the men's homes, they become the object of abuse driven by in-laws. What awaits them is often to get up early and work in the dark, and they are physically and mentally tortured, and this marriage makes the status of women even more low, and has become a barbaric and backward form of marriage that has destroyed women since the Song and Yuan dynasties.
When child brides are sent to the man's home, they are not sent to school, and they need to stay at home all day to do housework. Moreover, in their husband's family, they are mostly abused by their mother-in-law, and if they encounter an evil mother-in-law, they will often be beaten and scolded in all kinds, and they are really abused and live an extremely miserable life.
In order to let the daughter-in-law serve the in-laws in a disciplined manner in the future, the mother-in-law tries to subdue her, so scolding has become a common thing, and the mother-in-law will force the young child daughter-in-law to engage in all kinds of heavy housework.
Zheng Banqiao, a famous scholar of the Qing Dynasty, once wrote a poem that sympathized with the child's daughter-in-law and accused the mother-in-law, entitled "Gu Evil", which said:
The little woman was twelve years old and resigned from the family. ...... Gu Ling was bitter and took a knife into the chinese kitchen. ...... The salary is broken, and the ten fingers of the hot hand are withered. ...... The aunt knows that the child is not taught, and it is difficult to control when growing up! Today's insults, tomorrow's whippings. Five days without clothes, ten days without skin. Swallowing toward the dark wall, chirping and sighing. Gu Yun is a curse, holding a staff and a sword. No parents have come, wash their tears and entertain them. No brother asked, and he called him a sister in pain. Scars cover the placket, and baldness clouds are sparse. When it comes to evil, life need not be ashamed.
It can be seen from this that the life of the child bride in her husband's family, although it is not starving to death, is extremely tragic and painful.
In fact, the marriage of the fingers and child marriages of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties was legally prohibited.
According to the "Yuan Shi And Criminal Law Chronicle", "When men and women discuss marriage, it is forbidden to cut the abdomen of the finger. ”
The Ming Dynasty's "Household Order" also records: "All marriages between men and women have their own time, or those who have fingers and abdomen cut off their shirts and plackets as relatives, are prohibited at the same time." ”
However, even this is to no avail, and the phenomenon of child brides in the folk is still prevalent and cannot be eliminated. Moreover, traffickers in human beings often defraud money and sell women in the name of child support, which is heinous.
It was not until after the founding of New China that the behavior of child brides-in-law was truly regulated and curbed, and I sincerely hoped that this phenomenon could completely disappear and not be "revived".
What do you think about that?
References: "Household Order", "Yuan Shi Criminal Law Chronicle", "Gu Evil", "Jin Shi Hou Concubine Biography", "Song Shi Hou Concubine Biography"