The negative population growth and the increasing number of older leftover men and women have become a topic of general concern in society.
An important reason for this phenomenon is the rising bride price.
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The bride price, originally a traditional wedding custom, originated in the Western Zhou Dynasty, contains the good wishes to celebrate the couple's lily marriage.
The evolution to the current goal of obtaining high wealth is the result of many factors, and tradition should no longer be left to blame.
01
Bride price has been around since ancient times
The "bride price" was also called the "dowry" in ancient times, and it was recorded in the "Book of Rites": "Men and women do not have a matchmaker, and they do not meet each other." ”
For the aristocracy, of course, it is related to "propriety", but "etiquette cannot be inferior to the common people", Confucianism is still warm to ordinary people, and even if the behavior of the people is not strictly in line with "propriety", in the eyes of Confucianism, it is all right.
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In the Zhou Dynasty, ordinary people often only needed a deer skin or two wild geese to get a good head.
In the Han Dynasty, the dowry began to become complicated, and there were "thirty things of dowry", including sheep, geese, liquor, clear rice, etc., symbolizing abundant grains, food and clothing, and noble families would add gold and silver jewelry on this basis.
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And the lifestyle of the aristocracy often leads a trend of the times, not to mention the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties after the Han Dynasty, which itself is an era in which the gate lords held the right to speak.
During this period, the bride price gradually became a symbol of official dignity and humility. In society, there are often cases of bankruptcy and family destruction in order to prepare wedding goods.
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Therefore, after Xiao Daocheng founded Southern Qi, he repeatedly issued edicts prohibiting extravagance and banning extravagant weddings.
The Book of Southern Qi, Emperor Wu edicts: "When the wedding is issued, the people are at the beginning... Fang Qiao offerings, the gift of the union is not lost, the righteousness of thrift is there, if it violates the law, it will be brought to justice. ”
In the first year of Yongtai (498), Xu Xiaosi suggested:
"(Wedding) Yigu drank the wine of the end, and removed the chain of gold and silver, and used the remnants of the utensils. The parishioners hold on to the fire (full of fire), and the candles are extravagant, and it is advisable to stop. ”
But there are policies and countermeasures, not to mention that Xiao Daocheng These monarchs themselves come from a high gate like the Lanling Xiao clan.
To put an end to this phenomenon at all, it is necessary to completely change the basic basis of their own rule, but this means changing their lives.
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Therefore, although the imperial court clearly stipulated that weddings and funerals should be frugal, the style of luxury was still repeatedly prohibited.
In the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty, there was a fundamental difference.
Instead of becoming more complicated, the number of bride prices in the Tang Dynasty was reduced to nine things: dry lacquer, cotton wool, ejiao, acacia, and jiahe.
02
The ancients also worried about marrying, and the imperial court also intervened
This change does not mean that the Tang Dynasty's folk customs are more simple, but rather that the Tang Dynasty rulers are more concentrated in power, no longer relying on the Gaomen Shi clan, and can boldly promote the change of social customs.
Under the vigorous efforts of Li Shimin's courtiers, the Tang Dynasty was socially stable, and the people lived prosperously compared to before.
"Zhenguan Long Song" stills, from the Internet
But don't forget that people in agrarian societies are more "patriarchal", which leads to a situation where there are more men than women.
Naturally, if a man wants to marry a woman, he needs to pay more money, and this is the case among the common people, not to mention high-ranking nobles like the Qinghe Cui clan.
Even if the Tang Dynasty man's family status is not as good as the woman's, in addition to giving the woman's family bride price, he must also spend money to raise the door, which is called "accompanying the door wealth".
Emperor Taizong of Tang hated this deeply, and he once told Fang Xuanling: "Dona bribery is like selling money (where is marrying a daughter, it is clear that the daughter is treated as a commodity and sold at a price). ”
The "Tang Law" also has strict regulations on the amount and amount of dowry, and different classes have different restrictions, if this limit is exceeded, it is overreach, and even arrested.
During the Xianqing period, Emperor Gaozong of Tang ordered:
In a house of three grades or more, no more than 300 horses of silk; The fourth and fifth products shall not exceed two hundred horses; Six or seven products are not more than a hundred. A series of policies have been implemented to rectify the practice of comparing bride price.
Among Tang Gaozong's many methods, the most commendable is that in order to prevent some families from suddenly repenting after receiving a bride price or retainer wealth, it was stipulated that "no marriage is not hired".
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Regardless of the amount of the retainer money, as long as there is a fact of receiving the dowry, the marriage contract between the man and the woman is formed and has the force of law.
The "sky-high bride price" was indeed fundamentally reversed in the middle and late Tang and Song dynasties.
In the Song Dynasty, the requirements for bride price were even more interesting. It is recorded in the "Records of Sightings": "Usually engaged to a gift, tea is substituted. ”
Tea has become an indispensable part of the dowry, and a "small fresh" breath comes to the face.
"Qingping Le" stills, from the Internet
The folk dowry is called "tea down", the woman accepts the dowry is called "eating tea", and when the cave is in the cave, it is called "tea together", which is the "gift of three teas".
However, it still cannot be entirely attributed to the laws of the rulers of the Tang Dynasty, after all, by the late Tang period, the authority of the Tang court had declined.
Moreover, as many commoners can rely on the imperial examination to achieve a class leap, the sky-high bride price is less, but the sky-high "dowry" is more.
Whenever the scientific expedition was released, the wealthy and powerful female parents used various means to find new science and technology scholars, willing to pay a high dowry to marry their daughters to them.
"Qingping Le" stills, from the Internet
This is very understandable, those who can be admitted to the Junior College are "potential stocks", and the assessment standards of "body, speech, book, and judgment" make most of these Jin Shi's appearance guaranteed.
Talented and talented are naturally fragrant, and the future elites of these empires are also willing to accept these rich children.
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With money, you can temporarily get rid of poverty, use the power of your wife's family to help your career development, and also take money to bribe your boss.
As for how the girl looks, does it matter? After the big deal, take a few more concubines.
Therefore, both sides take what they need, and together there is a phenomenon of "catching sons under the list" in society.
03
Monetization of the bride price
Until the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the dowry was mainly money.
It is recorded in the "Marriage Miscellaneous Den": "Sixty-four taels of silver for gifts, eight coins for welcoming and giving lottery, four coins for knocking on the door, six coins for net lottery, one tael for palm gifts, eight coins for welcoming silver for greetings, and a number of items." ”
It can be seen that by this period, gold and silver became an important part of the dowry, and the stipulation was 64 taels.
According to the calculation of purchasing power, it is 50,000 yuan today, which is actually a heavy burden for families at that time.
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In addition to money, the dowry of the Ming and Qing dynasties also included gold and silver jewelry, pastries, liquor, etc.
It can be seen that the more the society develops, the more progressive the commodity economy, and the bride price inevitably attaches more importance to money.
Although after the founding of New China, everything is in ruins, it still cannot be as said that nearly half of the people who have been married for more than 20 years do not have a bride price.
The bride price in the 50s was summarized as the "Four One Project", including a bed, a washbasin, a spittoon, and a kettle;
By the 60s, it was "thirty-six legs", including wardrobes, cabinets, tables, chairs, beds;
"Three turns and one ring", originated from the network
In the 70s, the bride price became "three turns and one ring", including watches, bicycles, sewing machines, tape recorders.
Then in the 80s, it became the "four big pieces", including refrigerators, TVs, washing machines, tape recorders; Later, the "new four major items" appeared, including color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.
In the 90s, China's economy took off, and wedding photos, wedding rings, dresses, wine banquets, etc. also became an indispensable part.
Image from the Internet
That is to say, the commodity economy is developed, the monetization of the bride price is more obvious, the commodity economy is less developed, and the bride price will also exist in the form of goods.
Today's "sky-high bride price" just shows the development of the commodity economy, after all, even if it is difficult to get married, it is more yearning for the simple and unpretentious love of the father, but no one is willing to return to the 70s and 80s.
It can only be said that the development of the commodity economy is insufficient, and in economically underdeveloped areas, there is no better way to get rich, so there is a "sky-high bride price".
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Moreover, before the population achieved negative growth, the declining birthrate had continued for many years.
In the face of the marriage of an only daughter, or even a distant marriage, parents will test the man's loyalty with a bride price out of responsibility for their daughter's future or for their own pension.
In economically underdeveloped areas, if it is not an only child, the sky-high bride price has the color of a transaction, and the bride price for marrying a daughter is turned to prepare for his son's wife.
"Country Love" stills, from the Internet
But to be clear, even if the man smashes the pot and sells iron to get the bride price, the bride price is often similar to the "meeting gift", which does not include other money in the marriage, which will probably exhaust the man's enthusiasm and lay the groundwork for the marriage change.
Therefore, this is the biggest difference between ancient and modern bride price.
In the modern sense, the bride price is at most a marriage prerequisite for the woman's family to see whether the man's family is sincere, and cannot be regarded as a marriage prerequisite for the conclusion of a formal legal relationship.
Once the man's family gave the woman's family a bride price in ancient times, it formed a concept in the legal text.
"Country Love" stills, from the Internet
Therefore, while respecting and acknowledging customs, it is necessary to learn from traditions and emphasize that the dowry is the conclusion of a marriage contract.
Of course, at the level of the whole society, it is still necessary to develop the economy and let the economy have more increments, so that young people can dare to give birth, want to give birth, and then be willing to get married.
At any time, the emphasis on the market economy, on the commodity economy, is not excessive!
This article authoring team
Author | Zhao Xiyi
Curated | Zhao Xiyi
Edit | Zhao Xiyi
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