On the far-reaching influence of ancient patriarchal clan system in China

Patriarchal clan system led to the universal implementation of the principle of single patrilineal descent in China.

The so-called patrilineal list means that the blood group completely excludes the status of female members in the lineage arrangement, and women have no inheritance rights. Family relations in the Western Zhou Dynasty are closely related to the patriarchal clan system, which is manifested in the concept of "patriarchal clan control, men are superior to women" and the inequality between husband and wife. Male-dominated theory and male-dominated society have the way of "becoming a woman". In order to strengthen the husband's dominant position in the family, the rulers of Han dynasty also created the theory of "husband as wife", which was summarized as "seven women" by Chinese and Confucianism, all of which violated the patriarchal clan system principle. Women have no right to inherit family property, "water spilled by married daughters". After marriage, a woman must take her husband's surname, so she cannot inherit her parents' property. There are family rules in some professional skills and techniques, such as "children don't pass on women, daughters-in-law don't pass on women". The Book of Rites Special Sacrifice says: "Women follow others, follow their fathers and brothers when they are young, marry their husbands, and follow their husbands when they die." In terms of political rights, matrilineal members are not allowed to get their hands on them and pass them on to female offspring. Therefore, Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in China's history, has always been regarded as unorthodox, criticized by Manchu officials and condemned by historians, but in Europe and India, empresses and queens are very common. [ 18]

Patriarchal system leads to the perpetuation of family system.

The patriarchal clan system clearly embodies the strict clan system. In feudal society, clans were mainly embodied in the form of clans, and the basis of clan longevity was ancestral temple, genealogy and clan rights. Ancestral temples mainly worship ancestors, and ancestor worship is an important feature of China's traditional cultural psychology. Sacrificing ancestors is the most important, serious and important ritual system. There are five theories about rites, and nothing is more important than sacrifice. The ancestral hall is also a place for offering sacrifices to the clan and instilling family rules and laws into clan members. Therefore, the ancestral temple has played a role in strengthening family consciousness, maintaining family unity and spiritually teaching families to respect the clan. Genealogy is a kind of family file, classic and family law, which is mainly used to stop the disorder of blood relationship caused by war and mobility, prevent family disintegration, or to solve family disputes and punish unfilial children. The most important symbol of the enduring family system is the clan right, which has a far-reaching influence in the history of China and has become one of the four shackles around the neck of China people. [ 18]

The influence of clan rights on the history of China is mainly manifested in:

Clan rights have a unique function in propagating feudal ethics and implementing etiquette. Clan rights, with their own characteristics of consanguinity and patriarchal clan system, are more effective and easier to control people's hearts than the naked indoctrination of political power.

When carrying out feudal etiquette, clan rights are often more powerful than local officials. Because the patriarch and family members are related by blood, they are closer than officials and family members. They can educate family members without scruple and even punish those who break the rules.

In maintaining feudal order and consolidating feudal rule, clan rights have largely assumed the functions of local political power. For example, when peasants launched an uprising, clan rights played a supplementary role in the political power. Yong ying in the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Xiang Bing in the Qing Dynasty were all manifestations of clan rights to maintain feudal rule.

Clan rights cover up the advantages of class relations by blood and kinship, and effectively whitewash the essence of class oppression of feudal regime. For example, from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, China was in a state of disintegration, which was obviously closely related to the strength of clan power: clan power organizations such as the patriarch and the wall Lord, which competed with the imperial court, appeared in society, and actually formed an independent rural society. As the old saying goes, "The mountain is high and the emperor is far away, and the village is still a country." [ 18]

The patriarchal clan system led to China's "isomorphism of family and country".

The structure of the same family and country is the most distinctive structural feature of the patriarchal society, which has been preserved for a long time in the feudal society of China. Family or family and country have the same sex in organizational structure, that is to say, regardless of country or family or family, its organizational system and power structure are strictly patriarchal. The isomorphism of home and country is embodied in "home is a small country and country is everyone". In the family or clan, the father has the highest status and the greatest power; At home, the monarch's position is supreme and his power is supreme. Therefore, parents are like monarchs in the family, that is, "the family is strict and strict, and they are called parents" [19]. The monarch is strict father named by the whole country, and the officers at all levels are regarded as parents by the people. The so-called "husband, parents of the people" [20]. In this regard, Marx said: "Just as the emperor is usually regarded as the monarch father of the whole country, all officials of the emperor are also regarded as representatives of this patriarchal system in the areas under his jurisdiction." Therefore, the isomorphism of home and country can be considered as that the father is the home monarch, the monarch is the father of the country, the monarch and the father are both exterior and interior, and the country is connected with home. Therefore, there is an old saying in China, "If you want to run a country, you must first put your family in order" [2 1]. This structure shows that the patriarchal clan system permeates all aspects of society, covering class relations and hierarchical relations. The isomorphism between home and country directly leads to the unity of the quality of family or family members and the people of the country. This is synonymous with loyalty and filial piety, that is, the saying that "the loyal minister is at the door of the filial son". Loyalty, like filial piety, is an absolute obedience to power. The only difference is that they obey different objects. The Classic of Filial Piety in ancient China said: "Filial piety is the first thing for a gentleman, so loyalty and filial piety can be passed on to you", which became the moral and ethical standard of China. [ 18]

The influence of patriarchal clan system on modern China society

Patriarchal clan system is actually a group lacking a sense of self-existence and a primitive organizational structure, but it is this primitive structure that still affects many aspects of modern China, including society, politics, culture and so on. If these fragments are pieced together, it is not difficult to find the spiritual roots of many so-called "China characteristics" phenomena. [ 18]

The monarch, minister, father and son of China culture seem to be nothing more than a word of "virtue", which started from the patriarchal clan system. Clan system is used to organizing and managing ethnic groups by virtue, because they find that the law is obviously too pedantic and rigid in ethnic group management, but often with the intervention of morality, many things can not only be handled efficiently, but also be more flexible and have considerable continuity. Therefore, "morality" with the lowest social cost has become the preferred management mode of clan system. When we observe the life of modern society, it is still not difficult to find this moral symbol and system. "Respecting the old and loving the young", which seems to be a national virtue, is actually no different from "monarch and his son", and there is no difference between "monarch and his son" and "respecting the old". Although modern society abolished the imperial system, the relationship between superiors and subordinates is not so strong, but the moral relationship between father and son and respecting the elderly is still strong. This seemingly natural moral value is actually the same as the respect between the monarch and the minister. [ 18]

Therefore, under this organizational system, the system of admonition can be multiplied. As far as remonstrance is concerned, it is not patriarchal, and benevolence is the first, and the next person can remonstrate. Therefore, there is a saying that it is inevitable that even if the monarch, ministers, father and son, teachers and students are infringed, the legal meaning will take precedence, which has become a unique system in China. On the other hand, the remonstrance system also standardized the emperor's letters, and lower-level officials could make laws in the DPRK to prevent the emperor from breaking the law. But there was never such a system in western society, so that European society was always in a feudal society until the industrial revolution.