Source: © Thomson Reuters 2008.
“Would-be Chinese bride, 107, seeks first husband”, Mon Jan 12, 2009. Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sugita Katyal. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE50B19S20090112
A 107 woman named Wang Guiying reports that domestic violence was acceptable, and common in traditional Chinese marriages. Wang grew up in a world where men commonly beat and degraded women, and vividly recalls an incident where she discovered her aunt crying in a woodshed after being attacked by her husband.
Wang said: “”All the married people around there lived like that. Getting married was too frightening..”
Wang grew up at a time where marriages were often arranged between older men and young girls, and a woman had no say in choosing her partner. If a woman was murdered, no questions would be asked. Wang feared men, and avoided getting married because she did not want to be abused. She lived alone and worked as a farmer until she was 74 years old, when taken in by relatives. That Wang has remained single for so long, survived by running her own farm and now is taking an active role in selecting a husband is extraordinary.
Traditional Chinese society viewed women as inferior, they had few rights and exercised little authority in the home, they were subject to the demands of their husband or other male relative. It was common for men to have more than one wife, or to take concubines. A woman’s status was further minimized by her place in the marriage—first wives were at the top of the hierarchy, concubines at the bottom. Wives that bore sons were also favored. In Wang’s era, foot binding forced was a routinely practiced. Foot binding involved wrapping the feet of Chinese girls with tightly woven cloth, often breaking the bones in the process, to make their appearance more pleasing for their husbands. Women were often left crippled after having their feet bound for many years, and endured life long pain. Foot binding is no longer practiced in Chine. However, discrimination against women in China still exists. Female babies may be aborted in hopes of obtaining a son or alternately, female children are abandoned. There have also been progress in improving the lives of women in China, by granting them rights previously denied, and allowing them more opportunities in employment and education.
Wang fears that she is becoming a burden on relatives, and perhaps is a bit lonely, as she has changed her mind and recently decided to look for a husband. Local officials are assisting in the search for a husband, and are considering candidates from local nursing homes.
I pray that Wang finds the love she has so long been denied, and that her marriage is a very happy one.
Additional Sources:
Behind the Spectacle: Women’s Human Rights in China, Marcy Bloom on August 19, 2008: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/node/7926
“Chinese Cinderella” and “Falling Leaves”. by Adeline Yen Mah.
I read both and highly recommend, Mah writes memoirs about growing up in China during the 40’s and how she survived abuse, and being an unwanted daughter–and grows up to succeed despite everything against her.
http://www.adelineyenmah.com
China: Women’s Issues & Communities: http://newton.uor.edu/Departments&Programs/AsianStudiesDept/china-women.html
US: Clinton Remarks Undermine Rights Reform in China, Human Rights Watch
February 20, 2009: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/20/us-clinton-remarks-undermine-rights-reform-china
Women’s rights activist detained in China: Amnesty International
14 January 2009: http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?id=ENGNAU200901148963
