Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1874-01-07
Married Life in China.

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Very little is known in this country
of the married life of tho Chinese, but
nevertheless their habits and customs
IN this respect arc very minute, and
! BY no means void Of interest. Tho
patriarchal system of the country is
exhibited, on small scale, in all Chi
nese households; for as the Emperor
claims to be, and theoretically is, the
absolute and dcspotic ruler Of his sub
ljects, SO every father exercises a SINH
lar power over his family, even claim
ling theright to sell his children as
slaves.
A woman in China, when once she
lis married, and has assumed her hus.
bands clan name, becomes part ana
yarccl of his family, and hcnccior.
4, " she has bpta slight conneetinn
with her own relations, her duty and
obcdlence being entirely transferred
TO her husband and his parents, the
latter of whom, sad to relate, frc-
, quently treat her with great cruelty,
and moro as slave than daughter
in-law. t-
Tho Chinese wifc's great hope and
ambition are that she may have male
offspring to perpctuate her husbands
name, to care for and support him in
4 old age, and after death TO watch over
and offer sacrifice at his grave, and at
stated periods TO burn incense before
bis tablet. II she chance to be SO I'M
fortunate as to have no children, or
only daughters, there is rarely any
happiness in store for her and hor
married life, and her husband is very
likely to take to himself concubinc,
If he can afford to do so, hoping there
by to attain the darling wish of bis
heart.
| When women have no children they
supplicato the goddess Hui-fu Fu-gen
to aid them and send them sons, for,
If possible, they would rather not
have daughters. If a man have no sons
he is thought to rive without honor
and die unbappy;" and SO eager is a
Chinaman for male heir, that, fail
ing son of his own, he will adopt
one from his brothers families, if be
can get one. Occasionally, too, from
this all-absorbing desire for n son, pa.
rents will bribc a nurse to get some
poor mans boy, and substitute him
for u newly-born daughter. In the
exaggerated phraseololy common TO
tho Chinese, those who do this are
said "Ton lung, huan feng,''s that is,
to steala dragon and exchange it for
a phnnix. rtii ati b85 5e
When q son is born there are great
rejoicings in a family, and shortly ai-
terward what is termed the "mlk
name" is given, which answers To Ypet
names" among ourselves. Later on
the boy receives regular name, usu-
ally of two characters, corresponding
to what we call the Christian name
when written IL is placed after the
clan or surname When grown up
even, boys are often called, not BY
their proper. names, but by their num-
Der in the family for example, A.szc
or A-woo, that is, Number Four or
Number Five. iN a7n
On tho third day after its birth the
nurse washes the child for the first
time, before the family Image of the
goddess Mother" who is currently
believed TO watch over all children till
they reach their sixteenth year, and
at the same time an offering OF meat,
cakes, fruit, wine, flowers, etc., is
placed before her, in recognition Of
her aid in the character of Lucina. -
As is always the case with such like
obIations in China, they are altcrward
consumed by the family. Hr4
The important ceremony of binding
the wrists is now observed, and the
practice In this matter differs consid-
crably. A common plan is to tic
plccc of red cotton loosely around the
wrists another is TO fasten somo an.
cient copper on the wrists for several
days by means of red cotton In some
families this is not finally removed
from tho infants wrists for several
months, though IL is moro usual to
take it off after fourteen days. The
idea is that this binding Of tho wrists
together will prevent tho baby from
becoming wicked and disobedient, not
only in childhood, but alo in after life. |
In allusion to this singular, custom
when children dre troublesome or
naughty, they are asked if their moth
crs neglected to bind their wrists.
When the baby Is month old the
head is shaved for the first time, and
in the case OF boy this ceremony is
performed before the ancestral tablets.
After the shaving of the head at
the end Of the first month, IL is a
common practice to allow q patch of
hair TO grow on the top, il the child
be boy, and both sides, IL n girl the
hair is braided into tight little queues
which stick out, and give tho children
q very comical look in their carlicr
years. When girl, however, reach
cs womanhood, sho ceases TO wear
these queues which have lattcrly hung
down her back in glossy braids, and
hVr hhir uVhe up hneT ncau IN tnc
peculiar Chinese style, which, we be-
liove, varies but little all over the En-
pire, and report says--though wc can
not youch for the accuracy of tho sto-
ry--that tho singular edidce is rarely
taken to pieces and that tho women
use aTcurious little cane pillow to pro-
vent the disarrangcment Of their hair
at night. ato
Children ofrboth sexes are said to
ego out Of childhood when thoy arc
about sixteen years of age as in
China they arc then considered TO
have become adults, and the event Is
usually celebrated by certain family
obseryanccs. 1t must, however be
borne in mind that, though a child in
China becomes Of ago at sixteen, he Is
not thereby cmanoipated from the con
trol Of his parents for during their
lifetime he is bound by law and Gus
tom to obey them implicitly, DO ho