Many modern people have come to know ancient China through the medium of movies and TV shows or online novels, and at the same time, they tend to define the social environment and culture of that

Many modern people have come to know ancient China through the medium of movies and TV shows or online novels, and at the same time, they tend to define the social environment and culture of that era with the content of the dramas. Therefore, when the show is a courtroom drama such as "Yi Yi Chuan" and "Yan Xi Raiders", it's easy to take the situation of having many concubines as a matter of course and believe that the ancient Chinese people were polygamous. In fact, what we don't know is that the Chinese marriage model since ancient times has been primarily monogamous, rather than the stereotypical impression of polygamy.

Monogamy is the main tradition

According to archaeologists, as early as the late Yangshao culture of 3500-3000 BC, the middle and late Dawenkou culture of 4300-2500 BC, and the Qijia culture of 2500-1500 BC, we have found the tombs of adult men and women in pairs, which can be seen that there was a more fixed monogamous system at that time. monogamy.

However, during the Yin and Shang Dynasties, between the 17th and 11th centuries BC, monogamy became the mainstream of society, and even the customary practice of having multiple concubines for the royal family did not coincide with that time, because although polygamy existed in society, many of the monarchs of the Yin Dynasty chose to be monogamous (the royal family of the Yin and Shang dynasties practiced both monogamy and polygamy). polygamy). While there were many factors that contributed to the choice between monogamy and polygamy, the element of "having an heir" was indeed the most important in the eyes of the people. After all, succession is the main purpose of marriage, so under this premise, institutions and laws serve the purpose of heirship.

Then, for the royal relatives who needed to consolidate their power and wealth, "getting an heir" was even more important. Therefore, in the Shang Dynasty, the system of "primogeniture" was practiced, and the distinction between the first and the concubine was gradually created because of the mother's son's honor. In the Zhou Dynasty, the "concubine system" was added on the basis of the continuation of the Yin-Shang system, in order to prevent the confusion of the family arising from polygamy - the clan was afraid of disputes over inheritance rights, so it was specified that there could only be one "main wife". This is to prevent the chaos of polygamy in the family - the clan is afraid of disputes over inheritance rights, so it is clearly stipulated that there can only be one "main wife" and the rest of the "wives" are "concubines". As for the "first wife", it refers to the first wife; after the death of the first wife, or after the man divorced, the first wife married again, then "step" or "fill in the room".

Theoretically, no matter whose concubine, she can not be corrected without authorization as a wife, even if the son of heaven in the dragon must also be the same to comply with the rules of "a wife, the other is considered a concubine". Therefore, this is the emergence of "wife and concubine", "the son of the wife for the son, the son of the concubine for the son of the common people" difference, as well as "the first to the long and not to the wise, and the son of the noble and not to the long" of the rationale.

The term "flat wife" refers to: a wife of the Ming and Qing dynasty merchants, married to a woman working outside.

The term "flat wife" refers to a woman who was married to a merchant during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The development of monogamy

By the pre-Qin era, monogamy was in its formative stages, and it was not until the Qin and Han dynasties that monogamy was formalized. At that time, people had to act according to the laws of the Qin and Han Dynasties, and were not allowed to illegally remarry, and would be punished if they did, and the law also prohibited the change of position of wives and concubines, and even if the first wife died, the other concubines were not allowed to be converted.

Confucianism also explains monogamy: "Regardless of the class of the emperor or the people, wives and husbands share the same name of equality, while concubines are women who can only be with their husbands at certain times."

From all these examples and reasoning, it is clear that although concubinage was allowed in some cases in traditional antiquity, monogamy was still the main ideal. Moreover, by virtue of the patriarchal system, which emphasizes status and reputation, it is not considered polygamy, and if it is strictly classified, it should belong to monogamy (multiple concubines). This is because the status of a concubine is completely incomparable to that of a wife and is inferior. Since there is a very different difference between the two, it is somewhat unreasonable to say that it is polygamy. Therefore, this should be interpreted as: monogamy and polyandry, however, this is enough to show that monogamy is the basic principle of marriage.

After the Han Dynasty institutionalized monogamy, it had a profound impact on the future generations and dominated the Chinese marriage model. The prohibition of bigamy (a man who had a wife could not take another wife, or else he would have to serve one year in slavery), the prohibition of the change of wife and concubine, and the fact that any woman other than his wife was a concubine were all norms that cemented monogamy.

The same is true of the Song law, and the rationalists emphasized more on family ethics, marriage norms, and the husband and wife is more fundamental to human relationships. The Ming and Qing dynasties were no different from the previous generation, and both opposed bigamy and prohibited the order of concubines and wives. The Ming Dynasty Code of Conduct, Volume 163, clearly states the punishment of offenders: "Those who have a wife and take another wife will be punished with ninety strokes of the cane, and they will be separated from each other. Those who are over forty years old and have no children are only allowed to marry concubines. Violators, flogged forty."

In addition, the term "flat wife (also known as and full-fledged)" refers to: the Ming and Qing dynasty merchants who had wives, married women working outside, that is, with the main wife at the same time the existence of the wife. Although she is called "wife", but still not the etiquette, in the Ming and Qing laws are still belong to the "concubine" status. During the Qianlong period, the Qing court implemented the law of "concurrent disorders," which allowed an only son to marry an "equal wife" when his uncle or uncle lacked an heir, and to take on the heirs of both houses, while the sons born to each house were returned to their own houses, but the person who married in concurrent disorders was still regarded as a "concubine" in the law of the early Republic of China. However, those who married under the camouflage of another house were still regarded as "concubines" in the early civil law.

Concubinage was a minority

According to scholarly research, most people thought that polygamy was practiced in traditional China, but in fact it was categorized as monogamy (concubinage). However, according to the literature, only a very small number of people actually have concubines. Those who had concubines were mainly those of high social status, in other words, the higher the status class, the greater the number of concubines. Therefore, the number of concubinage is naturally the highest among the royal relatives, followed by the heavyweights and the rich, while the commoners of the cloth have fewer opportunities to have concubines. Therefore, concubinage is considered a privilege of the powerful in traditional Chinese culture.

However, there are two main reasons for the lack of concubinage: first, the cost of concubinage is not affordable to the common people; and second, the law restricts concubinage.

Da Ming Huidian Volume not only explicitly stated that all aspects of marriage should comply with the rules of law: "After the choice of marriage has been ordered. Selection of marriage has a period. Unauthorized marriages are prohibited. Concubines and concubines are limited." At the same time also in the "daiminghui dian volume of fifty-seven", clearly pointed out that the marriage of concubines, as well as the number of concubines should be married have to be examined by the Ministry of Rites: "the king's family to choose to marry concubines, all have to be pre-requests. The preaching, Daming Kai age, a number of first son, and has not married a number of concubines to wait for the Ministry of Manners to find out, the fruit of the lack of heirs, and the number of regulations should be married, Fang and the line of documents to review the survey is true, and then allowed to choose to marry. If there are any exceptions to this rule, the Ministry of Justice will refer them for dismissal.

However, the Wanli ten years has been agreed, the number of concubines at all levels of the royal ministers can marry, for example: "Prince concubine concubine, allowed to play the selection of a time, more than ten people", "the son and the county king of the amount of concubines four people. The eldest son and the general's concubine three."

Although the law of the country has clear provisions, but inevitably lax enforcement of the situation, and geographically remote places than close to the core of the country's region, it is more lenient and diversified. However, on the whole, concubinage is not popular among the common people.

The five-member family has been the norm for 2,000 years

People think that traditional families in ancient China were large, but if you look at the data from historian Liang Fangzhong and historian Du Zhengsheng, you'll see that this was not the case.

Because there are records of household statistics from all the dynasties in China, historian Liang Fangzhong calculated that the total average number of Chinese households was 4.95, based on 71 reliable data from the second year of the Western Han Dynasty (2) to the third year of the Xuantong era in the Qing Dynasty (1911); and historian Du Zhenggsheng calculated that the total average number of Chinese households was 5, based on 50 data from the later generations. 5 people. These two scholars not only have similar statistics, but also coincide with the "family of five".

After the Republic of China, the size of the family was still maintained at five, and most families had three generations under the same roof. From the size of a family of five, it is clear that the vast majority of Chinese families from ancient times to the present day are monogamous. In other words, in traditional Chinese marriage, monogamy is absolutely the mainstream.