A Study On The Reform Of Marriage Customs In Central China

After the War of Resistance Against Japan(1937-1945) broke out, N4A marched to enemy’s rear area, established Middle China base area, which included the greater part of Jiangsu and Anhui province, a part of Henan, Hubei and the east of Zhejiang. During the War of Liberation, one part of N4A withdraw to north, the main part of Middle China base area was called Jiangsu-Anhui border area.The traiditional revolution history continued to use the write pattern of "policy-effect", consider the CPC’s marriage freedom policy will be endorsed by women certainly. During the grand history narrate, the women’s image were too formulaic, the women’s personal experience, feeling and activity were ignored. Other schoolars deconstructed the revolution and women’s image, they consider that in order to win the revolution victory, CPC shelved or ignored the gender subject under discussion. My tyeatise intend to adopt the visual angle of revolution policy interact with traidition custom, link up marriage transform with country society, investigate the complex connections between revolution,gender and tradition.Before the base area established, the tradition marriage customs were prevalent in this area. Arranged marriage was current, family status idea was solid, the wedding ceremony was excessively detailed, the expenses of wedding became the heavy burden of people, the phenomenon of marry to early was common. Besides, there were mercenary marriage, child bride and take a concubine marriage undesirable customs. The women’s family position were low, tradition marriage undesirable customs brought great harm to women and the society. Compared to other region, the wedding custom of Middle China had it’s characteristic:because of the relative flourishing economy, the wedding expensive was high, the phenomenon of marriage determine according to the wealth was not so serious, but people attached importance to occasion. The women in Middle China participate in productive labor, so their family position were relative high, because civilization developed, the thought of women was fairly liberal. There were problem of gender proportion out of balance, but relative low.In order to arouse women take part in the War of Resistance Against Aggression and revolution, the Communist Party of China pursue the policy of freedom of marriage, reform the marriage undesirable customs. The direct origin of marriage laws in Middle China base area was the laws of CPC’s Soviet area during the land revolution period, beside, it also absorb the rational element of KMT’s civil law. The government of Middle China base area adopted marriage provisional regulations, established the content of marriage freedom, monogyny, protect the marriage of serviceman and reform the marriage undesirable customs.The women’s Federations were effective during the carrying out of marriage freedom policy. They conduct the marriage freedom policy by night school, literacy class, winter school etc. Women established the idea of marriage freedom, equality of men and women, promote the harmony of family relations through study. But the propaganda work was affected by tradition customs, mechanical work fashion and wrong style of work. The women’s Federations help women deal with the contradiction of study and household duties, valued the tradition customs, united the old-type intellectual, combined women liberation with developing production, they gain positive result.Compare with KMT’s civil law relatives contents, the policy and law in Middle China base area was:giving women more equal right, the value of marry changed from family standard to social standard, advocating thrifty and simplify in ceremony and propriety, encouraging late marriage, carrying out registration system but not contract system, putting polygamy into effect, annulling the taking concubine undesirable customs.The Middle China base area reform the tradition institution, opposed arranged marriage, advocated men and women shall marry the partners of their choice, reform marriage undesirable customs, prohibited mercenary marriage, marry too early, transform child bride system, opposed bigamy, take a concubine, pursued polygyny. Under the active propose of base area, the right to decide a marriage changed, the freedom of love and marriage began to emerge, established the freedom of divorce and remarry. At the same time, simplify the wedding ceremony, opposed extravagant and wasteful. Many female soldiers took part in the N4A in order to save the nation from extinction or break away from family constraint. The female soldiers’marriage included love freedom and arranged by politics. In N4A, the marriage condition was: twenty years old, five years revolutionary experience and regimental commander, marry must be approved by the organization. The female soldier were faced with the dispute of war, revolution and love. The female soldiers had to balance and choice between revolution and love.In order to make the revolution soldiers’family stable and set their mind to go in for revolution, the base area took measures to protect revolutionary soldier’s marriage, punished the act which disrupt soldier’s marriage, laid down restricted regulations for soldier’s dependants’ divorce or renounce an engagement, help disabled soldiers to marry and embark on a career, set up soldier as idea partner for choose spouse through literature and art. The measures of protect revolutionary soldier’s marriage defend soldiers’ morale, reassure and pacify soldiers’ feeling, became an important method of arousing enlist, changed the standard of choose partner in village. But protecting soldier’s marriage was conflict with the marriage freedom, and many landlord use marriage protect rules to escape combat, there are unfair judgment in soldier’s marriage law case.Under the shock of revolution storm, the traditional family relation in Middle China base area become flexible. The government of middle China revolutionary base area combated family violence and maltreatment, encouraged women working and learning production skill, established women’s ownership of property, supported women taking part in the political activities. Through these measures, women’s family position were improved, alleviated the family repress of women, stimulated their enthusiasm of revolution, promoted the family connections democratize strengthen women’s economic independence, improve the people’s livelihood.But, the method of raise women’s family position was restricted by revolution whole benefit and tradition custom. The process of improve women’s family position accompanied with the contradiction of revolution, right and custom.the new policy of marriage restricted by a series of factors:the first was the conflict between marriage freedom and revolution whole benefit, the second was restricted by economy and social condition, the third was restricted by country custom, the forth was generation gender contradiction, the last was the dispute between right and affection between family members. The practice of marriage freedom was not plain sailing, there was sharp gambling and mutual between revolution, tradition and gender.Faced with all kinds of condition, the base area combine the policy of marriage freedom with women’s productive movement and the practice of improve the people’s livelihood, maintain the family stable. Moreover, value old habit, make use of old form, adopt many action of compromise course to make revolution policy adapt to tradition customs as far as possible. They elaborate the middle and upper levels women’s effect and bring along, restricted and used the patriarchal clan power among the people.Confront the reform of tradition marriage and proposal of new marriage, the different women gave different choice, the minority accepted new wedding enthusiastically, most women persevere in traditional marriage choice, people still choose marriage from their personal love, position, family condition etc. It showed multi facial features.The practice of marriage freedom policy in Middle China base area made the principle of marriage by one’s own choice established, accelerated the sense of choose a spouse changed, the women’s family position improved, made women get certain freedom to take part in social activity. During the process of marriage customs changed, women’s subject consciousness sprouted to some extend. However, because of many elements, during the process of marriage custom changes, women only gain limited emancipation. The marriage reform was led by country.In the practice of reform, the erroneous tendency of womanism, the abuse and misunderstand to marriage freedom arose. The freedom of marriage itself bear too much of weight of political pressure.The marriage legislation of middle China base area was not equal between various strategy areas, the marriage laws during War of liberation were more rational and perfect than the period of the War of resistancd against arression. The marriage law of the People’s Republic of China carried forward the exercise magic of base area and the position of improved further.