The Republic of China stipulates monogamy, but why do people marry 40 wives?

The Republic of China stipulates monogamy, but why would anyone marry 40 wives?

During the Republic of China, the concubine phenomenon was the remnant of polygamy in China.

1。 Monogamy and Concubine Phenomenon in the Republic of China

I once wrote an article about how deep men were in ancient China. It's about the happiness index of men who took wives and concubines in ancient China.

In the past, having more wives was not a good thing. Polygamy is the welfare of those who have the right to become rich, while those at the bottom can. I can't afford a wife, and neither can I. I can't afford it, can I? I don't have the capital and opportunity to find a little wife.

In fact, monogamy has a long history in China, including the so-called feudal society, and it is also monogamous in name. Although the emperor has the privilege of seventy-two concubines in three palaces and six courtyards, and there are many concubines everywhere, there can only be one wife, and that is the queen.

So, what is a redundant woman? The emperor became a concubine and the people became concubines.

This marriage and family system is actually monogamous. Although concubines and wives are basically equal in the right to sexual life, even concubines can enjoy it more than wives, but there is a world of difference in family status and property. Even the children born to concubines are not as good as those born to wives. Write concubines at home.

During the Republic of China, especially after the May 4th New Culture Movement, women put forward women's rights and advocated equality between men and women. Monogamy really took effect and was written into the marriage law. This is a great progress in China's marriage system. During the period of the Republic of China, many men obeyed and conscientiously carried out it, such as Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek, who had only one wife.

If a man really likes other women in the Republic of China, he can divorce his original wife, but he can't get married without divorce, otherwise he will commit bigamy. Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek married Soong Ching Ling and Song Meiling respectively after divorcing their ex-wives.

But we can see from celebrity biographies and film and television works that most men in the Republic of China had more than one woman around them. It was common to marry three wives and five wives in the Republic of China, and some even owned dozens of houses. This is a unique concubine phenomenon in the Republic of China.

In view of this, Lin Sen, the former chairman of the National Government, wrote an ingenious inscription on the stone bench next to the donated Lushan Highway, saying that I was not allowed to sit, which became a joke for a while.

The Republic of China is a society that advocates civilized marriage and legal system. Since the Marriage Law of the Republic of China recognizes monogamy, why does this kind of violation of law and discipline happen again? The original problem lies in the laws and regulations of the Republic of China. Judicial interpretations and actual judgments in the Republic of China even acquiesced in the legality of concubinage.

2。 Judicial interpretation of marriage in the Republic of China, Fan Shaozeng 40 wives

19, 12, the national government promulgated the Civil Code, which came into effect in May of the following year, aiming at marriage and family.

At that time, the legislative principle of the Kuomintang Central Political Conference was not to stipulate the issue of concubines. I think the concubine system needs to be abolished urgently. Although it still exists in fact, it has not been recognized by law, and its status does not need to be stipulated by codes and special laws.

As early as the Republic of China 171February 24th, the then Legislative Yuan Hu publicly promised women that the personality of women in China would be improved and guaranteed by the Party. Thinking and legislation of our hospital.

Under this legislative spirit, the Chronicle of Kinship abolished the system of concubines and no longer stipulated the relationship between concubines and their status in the family. Concubine, which has existed in the married life of men in China for thousands of years and is deeply loved by men, has completely disappeared from the law. This move had a great influence at that time. Because it is a new thing, social differences are also very serious.

Some scholars believe that the abolition of concubines is intended to protect monogamy; Others believe that this has laid the groundwork for the concubine couple to fight for power and profit, and it is a signal to advocate the equality of wives and concubines. Newspapers were all over the place at that time.

Twenty-two years ago, case No.636 said that there was no provision for concubinage in civil law. After the implementation of the Civil Law, if there is similar behavior, it is adultery. A wife's request for divorce is explicitly recognized or acquiesced by her wife's concubinage, which should not be regarded as a divorce request.

These judicial interpretations can be said to be a serious violation of the principle of monogamy: male concubinage is not bigamy, but adultery, and it is a moral issue at most. This is similar to the definition of the style of outsourcing marriage and keeping mistresses by the judiciary now.

Therefore, monogamy in the Republic of China actually existed in name only, and the right of the United States to raise women's legislative aspirations was greatly weakened. Men in the Republic of China were free to find concubines and had more power than ancient men.

In ancient times, the system of male concubinage in the United States was clearly defined, but it was restricted because of its different status. For example, in the Western Jin Dynasty, the law stipulated that the king could take eight concubines, six princes, four first-and second-class officials, three third-and fourth-class officials, two fifth-and sixth-class officials, and only 1 official for seventh and eighth-class officials. Ordinary people are not allowed to marry concubines.

However, there was no such level restriction during the Republic of China. How many concubines can a man find in the Republic of China? The answer is: as much as you want, as long as you have the conditions. Fan Shaozeng, a general of the Republic of China, actually married 40 wives. Yang Xiuqiong, a famous swimmer and mermaid at that time, was the 18th concubine of Fan Shaozeng.

The difference is that concubines in the Republic of China were not called concubines, but became male subjects and were called concubines with dignity.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News B05 Edition 2011.9 Author: Ni, original title: concubines in the Republic of China under monogamy.