After the founding of New China, monogamy was practiced. What should I do if I marry a concubine?

In ancient times, the traditional concept that men are superior to women is deeply rooted, and women's status is extremely low. Some men even regard women as fertility tools and have no respect for them. They generally believe that women are accessories of men and can only live by men, so they put forward many harsh requirements for women, such as keeping quiet, obeying three virtues and so on.

It is precisely because women have no position in the family and even the whole society that many men are even proud of their aboveboard three wives and four concubines.

Polygamy was practiced in China a long time ago, but the initial targets were generally sisters, such as E Huang Nv Ying married by Shun Di, and they were equal. After the class society, the concept of polygamy has changed, and this time it should be called monogamy. Men have only one wife, but they can have multiple concubines. The status of concubines is seriously unequal.

First of all, as a man's wife, he usually needs to ask for marriage through the media, and then he pretends to be the hostess, responsible for managing the internal affairs of the whole family and receiving guests abroad. This is the man's wife. The children born to the wife are called Dichu, and their status is higher than that of other concubines. The treatment of the two is very different, and usually only Di Zi is qualified to inherit his father's position and property.

The wedding procedure in the concubine room is much simpler. Just find an auspicious day to take her back to the house. And although it is a man's concubine room, it is actually similar to a handmaiden. It is not only in a low position at home, but also controlled by its wife, and it is not qualified to receive guests on behalf of the host. A child born in a concubine room is called a concubine. Although they are also children of the male owner, their status and treatment are completely different from those of their own children, and they are not qualified to inherit their father's status and inheritance. It can be said that the concubine room is just a tool to satisfy men's vanity and carry on the family line.

At first, polygamy was only popular among emperors, governors and dignitaries, and then it gradually spread to the people. Many men like to marry more concubines to show their power and influence. It is precisely because of the low status of concubines that innocent women are generally unwilling to be concubines of others, and only women from poor families or prostitutes have to be concubines.

Monogamy and concubinage have been circulating in China for thousands of years. Until the Republic of China, concubinage was still popular. Many warlords or rich nobles will marry several concubines to serve themselves. For example, Yuan Shikai, the president of the Republic of China, married a wife and nine concubines.

However, after the Revolution of 1911, the new democratic system swept across the country. Influenced by the new culture, many people gradually abandoned this traditional concept. The status of women has improved significantly, and the voice of abolishing monogamy and concubinage is also growing. In order to conform to the trend and protect women's rights and interests, the government finally decided to abolish this backward system.

1950, the first marriage law of new China was promulgated, which explicitly proposed to abolish the unhealthy marriage system such as three wives and four concubines and arranged marriage, prohibit bigamy, concubinage and child bride, and implement the marriage system such as equality between men and women and freedom of marriage. At this time, China has legally prohibited polygamy. But there is also a problem here. What should those married aunts do?

You know, these so-called concubines have almost cut off contact with their parents since they got married, and they have no culture or means of livelihood themselves. If we want to sweep them out of the house, it is estimated that most of these people will starve to death in the streets. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the government has specially put forward a new regulation: if concubines who have been married before the promulgation of the marriage law do not want to divorce themselves, their marriage relationship will continue, but men are not allowed to marry new concubines.

During the period of 1952 and 12, Gu Dacun, vice chairman of Guangdong Women's Federation, proposed that whether to divorce should be decided by the woman, not by the man. If a woman asks for a divorce, the government must immediately approve it and try its best to satisfy her right to divorce. If the woman does not file for divorce, let them continue to maintain their original relationship and live together. After the introduction of this scheme, it has been supported by many people, and even many modern men are envious.

Today, there are still monogamous marriages in Hong Kong and Macao, among which Stanley Ho, the gambling king of Macao, and his four wives are the most famous. Although questioned by many people, Stanley Ho said that he followed the marriage system before liberation and did not violate the regulations. However, many women are right or wrong. Now that Mr. Ho is not dead, his wives are already secretly fighting for property. It can be seen that having too many wives is not necessarily a good thing.