| This study explores the faithful maiden cult in Qing dynasty China (1644–1911) to tap its broader cultural and social meanings. In late imperial China, thousands of young women from various social backgrounds, referred to as zhennü or “faithful maidens,” responded to the death of a fiancé either by choosing to spend the rest of their lives as if they were widows, or by committing suicide as if they were “following a husband in death.” The rising numbers and growing visibility of such young women created controversy within the family and in the larger society, and provoked fierce debates among literati. The dissertation reconstructs the historical path of the cult's origin and its spread: the influence of state policies, the opinions and emotions of individuals, and the interactions among the family, the literati community, and local lineage organizations—all of which played a role in the spread of the faithful maiden phenomenon. Three factors crucially shaped the direction of the cult in the Qing period: dynastic transition, Manchu rule, and literati enthusiasm. The escalation of the cult compelled scholars to reexamine the canonical foundations of faithful maiden practices, giving rise to much tension as leading intellectuals struggled to find a ground where textual evidence, moral commitment, and personal emotions could be reconciled. Central to this study are questions about how gender identities were conceived and expressed by young women. By analyzing the rituals of spirit marriage and suicide, the faithful maidens' code of conduct, and their lives as “virgin mothers” and “virgin daughters,” the dissertation shows that a faithful maiden's understanding of her own place and of her proper role was profoundly rooted in the prevalent social value attached to yi (honor-bound duty), as well as in her feelings about her fiancé, qing (love). The practice of child betrothal was a key influence on a young woman's view of where and to whom she belonged as an adult. Meanwhile, classical and popular literature, which often featured allusions to and stories about qing and yi, supplied repertoires of practices and lore, through which young women absorbed norms, beliefs, and fantasies. |
