Cultural Construction Of Contemporary Chinese Marital Ethics

As a special social ideology,marital ethics is a series of norms which should be followed by people who participate in marital activities which take shape on some given social bases,such as marital conclusion,marital maintenance and abolishment of marriage.Social existence which focuses on material production mode is its basis and determinant.Whereas,from the dimension of "social existence-social ideology" relationship,culture takes direct effect on marital ethics.The value guidance of culture decides on the modality of marital ethics and constructs the value parameter of marital ethic norms.The given marital ethics of a society reflects its cultural value orientation.The development and change of social culture will also definitely lead not only to the change of individual's viewpoint and attitude on marriage but also to the alteration of marital ethics.The effects on marital ethic value of culture become more obvious during the process of social development.For example,in traditional Chinese society,the society itself was directed by Confucian culture,a hierarchy culture founded on consanguinity relationship,under which the marital ethic rules revolve around the males,producing marital rules such as "parents' dictates go beyond everything","husband guides wife","man is superior to woman".In modern history,changing traditional culture,breaking the bondage of people and learning Western culture became important social value parameter which subsequently boosts new marital ethic rules such as "freedom of marriage","equality of men and women".After the foundation of new China,Marxism became the social value parameter and“love","duty","equality of men and women" therefore became leading rules.After reform and opening-up,Western modern culture featured by "utility","freedom","subject","rationality" took effects on Chinese society gradually and marital ethics were characterized by materialization and individualization.As for today's Chinese society,Confucian culture,Marxism culture,Modernism culture,post-Modernism culture and other different kinds of cultures constitute today's cultural ecology and value background in China.Different cultures collide with each other,which presents a state that Confucian culture declines though still with wide effect in general,Marxism culture's leading position which it should take is weakened,Modernism culture takes sweeping effect on people's daily life and post-Modernism culture is making its first appearance.The co-existence of multi-cultures in addition to the contradiction and conflict on values among different cultures causes various marital crises in today's China.Marriage has to undertake the anguish of hierarchy brought by Confucian culture,the infliction of materialization caused by utilitarianism of Modern culture and the burden of marriage chaos produced by the value nihility of post-Modernism.As a result,arranged marriage,materialized marriage,extramarital affair,exchange of wife,one night stand and some other marital ethic anomies emerge in Chinese society.In connection with marital ethic anomie caused by multi-culture in today's Chinese society,the society needs to handle the relationship between Marxism culture and Confucian culture,Western modernism culture,post-modernism culture well to reestablish the leading position of Marxism culture.Exactly,Chinese society needs to absorb the positive elements of Confucian culture,Western modernism culture and post-modernism culture,which are beneficial to forming healthy and harmonious marital order.Besides that,the Chinese also need to resist kinds of negative influences brought by them and create healthy and harmonious culture environment.The society should to take them as the base of its value and set up marital ethic system which includes "Principle of Love","Principle of Freedom","Principle of Monogamy","Principle of Loyalty","Principle of Equity","Principle of Reparation",organically combining individuals,families and the society together in hope of solving marital ethic anomies in today's Chinese society.Besides that,only the marital ethics that merge into specific social life and internalized by marital value and behavior norms of people could solve today's Chinese marital ethic anomies better.Therefore,on the base of marital ethics directed by Marxism,the society should construct and perfect the route with content of"government,family,school,intermediate structure",which could spread marital ethics effectively,so as to conceive and continue marriage within the range of love,freedom,equity and loyalty.