Marriage Practice of the Chinese Communist Party in Modern Era, 1910S-1950S
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 8-23-2011 12:00 AM From Marriage Revolution to Revolutionary Marriage: Marriage Practice of the Chinese Communist Party in Modern Era, 1910s-1950s Wei Xu The University of Western Ontario Supervisor James Flath The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in History A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Wei Xu 2011 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Asian History Commons, Chinese Studies Commons, Cultural History Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, History of Gender Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Social History Commons, Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Xu, Wei, "From Marriage Revolution to Revolutionary Marriage: Marriage Practice of the Chinese Communist Party in Modern Era, 1910s-1950s" (2011). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 232. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/232 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROM MARRIAGE REVOLUTION TO REVOLUTIONARY MARRIAGE: MARRIAGE PRACTICE OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IN MODERN ERA 1910s-1950s (Spine title: FROM MARRIAGE REVOLUTION TO REVOLUTIONARY MARRIAGE) (Thesis format: Monograph) by Wei Xu Graduate Program in History Department A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Wei Xu 2011 THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION Supervisor Examiners ______________________________ ______________________________ Dr. James Flath Dr. Jun Fang Supervisory Committee ______________________________ Dr. Carl F. Young ______________________________ Dr. ______________________________ Dr. Norman Smith ______________________________ Dr. ______________________________ Dr. Danièle Belanger The thesis by Wei Xu entitled: FROM MARRIAGE REVOLUTION TO REVOLUTIONARY MARRIAGE: MARRIAGE PRACTICE OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY IN MODERN ERA, 1910s-1950s is accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ______________________ _______________________________ Date Chair of the Thesis Examination Board ii Abstract This dissertation focuses on exploring the myth of “revolutionary marriage”, a popular and lasting marriage tradition of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The concept of “revolutionary marriage” came out of a marriage revolution initiated by the May Fourth radicals in order to challenge the traditional marriage system. This term was then borrowed by the early Chinese Communists who used it to depict their socialist marriage ideal. However, regarding the CCP’s marriage policy, there was always a gap between the progressive ideals and the conservative realities. In every piece of propaganda the CCP swore to completely overthrow the feudal arranged marriage system and to give people in general, and women in particular, the freedom to love and marry. In its mass line practice, however, the Party had to make compromises with the old system, which was deeply rooted in Chinese society, by exercising constant restraint on the individual’s marriage freedom. To fill the gap between ideal and practice, the Party re-interpreted the ideal model of “revolutionary marriage” as one that demanded people’s unconditional submission to the Party’s arrangement of their love and marriage for the sake of the Communist revolution. After the founding of the PRC in 1949, the “revolutionary marriage” model expanded out across the party line to become a nationwide practice. Through a comprehensive examination of the theoretical sources, historical origin, social context, and practical applications of the revolutionary marriage model, I endeavor to argue that rather than a static socialist project, this model was actually a flexible social control program developed by its designers to fit in the context of a transitional China where the old traditions had been fundamentally challenged and while new practices and customs were still under construction. Keywords CCP, Communist Party, Chinese women, Confucianism, custom, danwei, ethics, legislation, love, marriage, reform, revolution, social control, socialization, tradition, work unit iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor Professor James Flath for his advice, encouragement and guidance throughout the entire research process. It was professor Flath who opened my eyes to new worlds of study and helped me find this fascinating topic. Had it not been for his patience and trust, conducting this research would have never been possible. I also would like to thank Dr. Daniele Belanger and Dr. Jun Fang for their warmest advice, encouragement and continuing support. Of course, this thesis also benefits from the expertise of all the professors who taught me in courses or exchanged ideas with me here at the University of Western Ontario. Thanks also to Dr. Mei Han, for introducing me to her family who helped me gain access to my interviewees. Without this precious contact, I could not have done the interviews. I give thanks as well to all those who shared their stories with me and trusted me to understand their life, their joy and their pain. I am grateful to the members of my examining committee for their careful reading of the thesis and insightful questions. I also owe sincere gratitude to all the fine people at the university. I would especially like to thank Chris Speed, the Graduate Program Assistant in the Department of History: your professional and warm-hearted support made my life at Western enjoyable. Finally, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my parents, my husband Zhihan and my son Ray, for their love, support, encouragement, understanding and patience. They are the foundation for who I am, and anything I have been able to accomplish is a tribute to them. iv Table of Contents CERTIFICATE OF EXAMINATION ........................................................................... ii Abstract..............................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents................................................................................................................ v List of Appendices ..............................................................................................................x Chapter 1............................................................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Approach, Methodology and Chapter Organization............................................... 3 1.2 Previous Scholarship on the CCP’s Marriage Politics............................................ 5 1.3 About the Major Sources ...................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2........................................................................................................................... 19 2 Making a Traditional Marriage .................................................................................... 19 2.1 Marriage and Matrimony ...................................................................................... 20 2.1.1 The Distinction to be observed between a Man and a Woman: Sex and Marriage.................................................................................................... 22 2.1.2 Righteousness between Husband and Wife: Familial Roles of Men and Women...................................................................................................... 25 2.1.3 The Affection between Father and Son: Parental Order........................... 28 2.1.4 No Matchmaker, No Marriage.................................................................. 31 2.2 The Love Bond of Two Families: Criteria and Choice......................................... 35 2.2.1 Criteria of “Good People”......................................................................... 36 2.2.2 Matched Door: The Politicized Love Bond.............................................. 39 2.2.3 Monetary Marriage: The Commercialized Love Bond............................. 42 2.2.4 The Marriage Age: Ideally, Legally and Practically................................. 44 2.3 The Rectitude between Ruler and Minister: Marriage in the Official Policies..... 45 v 2.3.1 The Lawbreaking Marriages..................................................................... 48 2.3.2 Concubinage: The Gap between Law and Custom................................... 50 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 52 Chapter 3..........................................................................................................................