Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-08-11
A Chinese Marriage.

Siao-ien-tse, the pretty Chinese
girl, whose name signifies little swal-
low, and who came SO often to play
and chat with me, was married
yesterday. She is just my age-four-
teen. Although l consider myself
quite a young lady, think it would
be rather early to become madame.
The Chinese are not of my opinion,
however. My little friend would soon
have been considered spinster. What
a strange country it is!
Siao-ien-tse has told me of all the
formalities which accompanied her
engagement. I attended the wedding
yesterday. It was all ESQ very curious
that one would almost have thought
they were acting a comedy.
! Here is the story of her romance,
If one may be permitted to use that
word in connection with a transaction
methodically accomplished, so sim
pie and so destitute of poetry. 1t may
serve as a type Of the unions daily
celebrated in the celestial empire.
Some months ago, friend of Siao-
ien-tse's family came to her parents
and told them that she knew of a
very desirable young man, named
Ouang-tse (Hope), whose virtues she
warmly eulogized. The same friend
went afterwards to the young mans
parents and told them the same fiat
teriI,g things about Siao-ien-tse. In
this case they were certainly merited
my sweet friend is so amiable, is
such a good musician, in the Chinese
fashion, and has SO many lovabla
qualities.
In France it would have been at
once arranged for a meeting to take
place between the young people, as
, If by chance, in society, at the thea
ter or at friends house. Here it Is
quite the reverse, A meeting Is care
fully prevented. It is absolutely for
hidden, in fact. The parties see each
+ other for the first time only on the
wedding day, when everything is IT.
revocably decided and when the hus-
! band comes in his quality Of lord and
master to claim his wife and take her
! to his home.
How many cruel receptions must
necessarily result from such bar
barous custom!
AS for myself, I know [ should be
furious at the thought Of being sold
in this manner, without the right of
protesting. Being sold" is the cor
rect expression. There is even
fixed value on women as if they were
articles of merchandise. Before the
age of ten, a little girl is worth from
ten to fifteen piastres; later a young
woman is worth two hundred or even
more. 1t all depends upon the small
ness Of her feet, her beauty and her
/, disposition.
The bargain which decided Slao-ien-
tse's fate was very complicated af
fair, it seems. Her parents thought
/ that the sum could never be too large
to compensate for the loss of such a
! treasure. On the other hand, the
family of Ouang-tse held that the price
asked was rather extravagant nc mat
ter how desirable the maiden was.
Finally, after much discussion, an
understanding was arrived at, thanks
/ to the friend whose duty it was to
bring the affair to happy termina-
ton. She was also expected to give
all the information required by both
| families. 1t would have been highly
/ improper for the young mans parents
! to attempt to see the young lady, and
vice versa. 1t would also have been
extremely indelicate to appear to d.
! rectly consider the question of money.
| After the price was fixed in this in
stance and the earnest-money paid
| Siao-ien-tse's parents inscribed on red
paper the year, month, day and hour
of their daughters birth, emitting to
mention her name or that of her fam
| lily. This paper was sent as first
| engagement to the house of Ouang-
tse. If an unlucky omen had fol-
lowed the receipt of this document, the
! fates would have shown their disap-
prevail of the union and everything
would have been at once brok-
en- off. AS nothing Of the
| kind happened the proceedings con-
! tinued. The young mans family at
once sent sweetmeats Of every de-
scription to the parents of his flancee;
she brought me good share of these.
After the acceptance Of these atten-
tions and as an expression of oblig-
atory gratitude, the red paper was
returned to receive the name Of the
young lady and of her family. This
| formality completed the engagement.
! From this time on, my little friend
was treated like as a grown person.
| Her luxuriant hair, which had been
allowed to fall loosely over her
shoulders, was twisted up on the top
of her head and other changes were
made in her toilet. In our hours OF
| intimacy, become more rare, we
| talked Of her future while enjoying
| the sweetmeats which had bound her
for life.
She explained to me, with a reslg-
| nation bordering on fatalism, that
| the wife in this country owes a pass
| i've obedience to her husband. If he
! chooses to purchase other women,
bring them into the house and even