Arranged Marriage in Imperial China
“Arranged Marriage is like a blind date... except that date is supposed to last a lifetime."
– Unknown
Before Mao, women were forced into arranged marriage, which was a violation of women's rights they did not have the right to marry who they wanted and they were traded for money in exchange for child bearing.
This is from the translated autobiography of Fengxian, a Chinese woman forced into an arranged marriage. “I had no courage to resist the marriage. I had to swallow my own suffering.” - Fengxian “Women want to seek happiness with their whole life, but no one can run away from these rules.” - Fengxian |
Mao Zedong outlawed arranged marriage in 1950 by passing the Marriage Law.
"Marriage shall be based upon the complete willingness of the two parties. Neither party shall use compulsion and no third party shall be allowed to interfere."
- Article 3 of the 1950 Marriage Law
"Marriage shall be based upon the complete willingness of the two parties. Neither party shall use compulsion and no third party shall be allowed to interfere."
- Article 3 of the 1950 Marriage Law