Study On Women’s Marital Life In Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region

Establishment and development of Shaan-Gan-Ning Border-Region was the historical product based on a very long-term abnormal state of politics and war, rather than the result of natural development of local politics and economy. Establishment of the regime did not mean that the contact of people’s life before and after revolution was completely cut off. Instead, the original and traditional culture and customs still played a dominant role in people’s daily life. When it came to marriage customs, this characteristic showed that women were restricted because of the long-term influence of Central orthodox culture, and they were also influenced by the Northern Minority’s relatively free and open concept. In the Revolution times, the conflict and fusion between foreign culture and local culture made the border area gradually become the local area with multi-cultural fusion. The Modern Transformation of marriage and family was not only an important part of social change, but also an important symbol of the awakening of women. With the development of politics and economy, the martial life of women in Border-region presents phased features and new normality.This dissertation included six parts. Part one was the basis of the study, including the introduction and chapter one. The introduction was mainly about the origin and significance of the selected topic, concept interpretation, literature review both at home and abroad, the frame content, materials & methods and difficult points and innovation. The first chapter focused on the natural and human environment of Border-Region, the traditional forms of marriage, bad habits and taboos, view of spouse selection and marital rituals, rural women’s family roles and spiritual outlook, women’s liberation movement before establishment of the government of the border region, marriage law in Shaanbei and CCP (the Communist Party of China)’s view of Women. This section was the background of the whole thesis, and it was also the reference to marital life after the intervention of revolutionary regime. Based on the previous research, this thesis discussed the internal logic of women’s Marriage Revolution and changes in the revolutionary based by the employment and integration of a variety of raw data. Part two proposes Marriage New Deal was not only a new free and democratic institution of marriage compared to the arranged and mercenary marriage in old Feudal Society, but also the political strategy of Border-Region Government to mobilize women get involved in the revolution. And then, this part introduces the enactment of the Marriage Law and conflict of old and new ideas after the Border regime was stable. By several amendments of Marriage Law and reshaping the role of women in politics, economy, education and body, women’s social rights were protected. And the implementation of the Marriage Law made marriage reform tend to be fair and reasonable. Part three analyzed the relationship between women’s marriage and revolution from four aspects. A "divorce" climax in Border-Region was mainly reflected in the following aspects. The first was the marital problems of general public. Women regarded divorce as "a revolutionary proof and government compromises with the traditional male power. The second was the marital problems of anti-government. The contradiction between the government and the anti-Japanese soldiers was effectively released by shaping the model soldier’s dependents and implementing strategies of preferential treatment for families of soldiers and the anti-wars with the war and revolution as its background. The third was the new Border female’s emotional life and revolutionary marriage, that is, "My body I call the shots", and the divorce issues of Male cadre. Mao Zedong’s revolutionary discoursed establishes "revolution is superior to love" value. The fourth was that women, marriage and revolution in literature work were presented with fiction and poetry as the examples. Part four centered on the relationship between women’s family and revolution, which included three parts.Firstly, Border-Region Government reshaped the role of women in the family, urging them to play a "half the sky" role in family labor and social construction. Secondly, "wife and mother" and "modal family" was shaped with the guidance of collectivism, and the "new family traditions" was formed transforming "female hobo" in social practice. Thirdly, rural women achieved liberation from passive awakening to active going out of a closed environment. Part five presented that birth was one of the basic functions of family and it was closely related to population issues. Fertility was a concrete manifestation of the value of women. Early marriage and childbearing, health concepts and disease obsession makes the maternal and infant health in Border-Region in a vicious cycle. So the government carried out maternal and infant health campaigns to change public’s concept of reproductive health. Marriage law reflected the concept of children’s orientation and the abnormal state of revolutionary women’s work and their children. The government established the health care system to protect children’s physical and mental health. The solution to marriage, family and fertility issues contributed to political stability and sustainable development of the population. Part six came to the conclusion. It began with the reconstruction of female marriage under Border-Region New Deal. And then, revolution came across love and love encounters revolution---the era dilemma in protecting women’s rights of marriage. The third was freedom of marriage and everything for the war---class, race, and women’s physical recognition under revolutionary discourse. Finally, women’s marital family and the State Construction in Border-Region---experienced for the reform of the Marriage and Family System after the founding of New China.Starting from the women themselves, with their experience and gender-relation evolution as a major clue, this thesis studied the social activities of women under Border-Region Government’s Marriage New Deal, ideological emancipation and marital family changed from the perspective of "Women, Marriage and the revolution," with revolutionary forces as the "catalyst". First, during the anti-war and the liberation war, marriage-related policies and regulations issued by the Border-Region Government was not more specific and flexible with respect to that of the Soviet era on several issues, but easier for society to accept. They had initially shaken the traditional marriage system and led to the great evolution of marital family relationship, especially the relations between two sexes. These policies and regulations were not only "institutional arrangements" of the construction of the Chinese Communist Party regime, but a "policy choice" of its social governance. They focused on both the "social forces" of women in the political power construction and their "physical strength" in the revolution or war times. The reform conducted in the Chinese Communist Party revolutionary base made the role of women who had been in the bottom of the society and family for a long time change greatly. These changes resulted in their role shifted from the private sector to the public domain. Border-Region women’s liberation movement had become an important part of the Chinese Communist social revolution. By the women’s liberation movement, women achieved their own liberation from family to society, and finally joined the ranks of the socialism revolution to work hard at our socialism revolution. Second, marriage institution was an important aspect of the social system. It’s legal value and policy option had effect on the interests of the public. In other words, it was basic livelihood arrangements in essence. If it carried too much political outlook, it would cause people farther way from their own humanity and lead to a crash. During the base period, Communist Party of China tried to implant "freedom of marriage" principle into family, but by no means the simple replacement of the old and new concept. The basis of its change lied in the reform of social institution in politics, economy and culture. Although the Communist Party of China tried to block the source of feudal marriage and the implement "freedom of marriage", its practice was repeatedly frustrated, cause the subtle confrontation among the Communist Party, women and male farmers on the issue of divorce and results in women’s protection and declaration of their own rights. Third, marriage legislation and practice served as a link between past and future. It not only developed the marriage institution arrangements in Soviet era. but established the basic content and practice of three pieces of Marriage Law after the founding of China.