In ancient feudal society, people often said that "there are three unfilial pieties, and no descendant is the greatest", emphasizing the importance of inheritance in the family concept. However, for those who are poor, it is not easy to pass on the lineage. In ancient times, marrying a wife and having children was not only a responsibility, but also a mission, because the existence of children meant the continuation of the family, the inheritance of property, and the status of the individual in society. But how can the poor who do not have enough wealth to afford a wife pass on their lineage? They have come up with an unethical way, and that is to marry a wife.
1. The birth and development of "pawn wife marriage".
Pawn wife marriage, in fact, is a distorted form of marriage, which originated in the Han Dynasty. At that time, wars were frequent, life was difficult, and many people could not even solve the problem of daily food and clothing, let alone cumbersome marriage procedures. In order to survive and continue the incense, some poor families have adopted the bad habit of pawning their wives and marrying them, and temporarily handed them over to others to have children, in order to continue the family bloodline.
The specific process of pawn marriage is roughly as follows: the two parties first negotiate the terms, and then the seller gives the wife, and the buyer pays a certain amount of remuneration. During this time, the wife plays the role of wife in the buyer's home, giving birth to children and then being raised by the buyer. After a certain period of time, the wife can be redeemed and continue to live in the buyer's house on pre-agreed terms.
Although it is unethical to pawn marriage, it has become a means of survival in turbulent times. Over time, this bad habit was gradually regulated and institutionalized, and even reached its peak in the Tang and Song dynasties, where it was widely adopted by the rich and the poor. In society, pawn marriage is regarded as a legal transaction, and many people even regard it as a normal way of marriage.
2. The meaning and influence of "pawn wife".
The birth of pawn marriage was due to the excessive number of poor people in society at that time, which led to the problem of inheritance from generation to generation. In feudal society, inheritance is an important task of every family, and pawn marriage has become the only way for poor people to inherit their ancestry. Even if there are doubts about morality and ethics, people can only accept this reality when there is no other choice.
In poor homes, women bear the burden of the bad practice of marrying wives. They are seen as commodity-like trading partners, often tormented and unable to resist when sold. Although this behavior is not acceptable in modern society, it was commonplace in ancient feudal societies.
However, with the development of history, especially during the Qing Dynasty, pawn marriage was gradually restricted by law and condemned by society. For the sake of social stability and development, the rulers of the Qing Dynasty issued a series of laws and regulations to restrict the practice of pawn marriage. But even so, pawn marriages still exist in some areas and families, and for the poor, the responsibility of passing on the family line is always there.
III. Conclusion
As a bad habit in feudal society, although it has long been eliminated in modern society, the mark it leaves is still fresh. This immoral behavior has caused women to lose their autonomy and be used as a tool for childbearing, suffering endlessly. However, with the progress of society and the improvement of the law, people gradually realized the harmfulness of pawn marriage, and gradually abolished this bad practice, so that women gained more respect and rights. Today, when we look back on the history of marriage as a warning, we should cherish the progress of modern society, so that everyone can live equally and freely.