…BEFORE THE REVOLUTION Life in China… …BEFORE THE REVOLUTION

Marriage Parents arranged marriages and husband’s paid wife’s family for her Lived with husband’s family NO divorces! According to tradition, most marriages were arranged and couples did not meet until they were married. Wealthy families often arranged their children’s marriages before they even were born. In poorer families (most) when the daughter turned 16 a broker would come to the house and propose a marriage arrangement. If the woman’s family approved, they would meet. The man brought gifts to the family and could not see his future wife during the first meeting. If the young woman’s mother was satisfied with the man, then they would negotiate how much the man’s family would pay for the woman. Once married, women were part of the husband’s family. They lived and worked for their in laws. Women could not initiate divorces and women who were really desperate could only escape the marriage by running away or committing suicide.

WORK Peasants rented land Children worked as soon as they walked Boys worked for the landlord by carrying water or herding livestock; Girls: babysat at 4, cooked at 10 Peasant life was very difficult. Most peasants did not own land, but rented fields from landlords. Those that did own land did little manual labor and lived comfortably off of the rent. Peasants worked hard all year to pay their rent and feed their families. Men worked in the fields and women worked in the home. Children began working as soon as they could walk by plucking grass. As they got older boys worked for the landlord by carrying water, herding liveston, and then becoming field laborers. Girls began helping babysit at 4 or 5 and cooking at 10.

CHILDREN & ELDERLY Elderly most respected and lived with family Couples not considered married until first child was born High infant mortality Young and the old in China maintain a close and special relationship. The Chinese value passing on the family name more than anything else! It was so important to have children that you were not considered married until you had your first child. The Chinese believed that the deceased lived on through their descendants and had rituals that honored them. Elderly did not consider their lived fulfilled until they had grandchildren. As part of extended families (3 or more generations living together) elderly helped care for the children whil the parents worked. Childbirth was very dangerous. Death of newborns and infants was common because of diseases and malnutrition. Children were usually not given names until they were at least 1 month because they might die beforehand.

Government Changes had little effect on peasants Emperor was distant figure Peasants really only reported to their landowner Changes in the government before the revolution did not really affect the people. The emperor was a distant figure who had a hierarchy of officials. The local leader still watched over thousands of people, so most of the day to day governing was carried out by the powerful landlords. This is who they reported to. If they were in dept, the landlord seized their property and were forbidden to move. Landlords could beat people if they did not like their behavior or they did not pay their taxes on time. Peasants did not participate in government decisions and had little recourse against the abuses of their landlords

EDUCATION Only wealthy could educate children Many villages it was impossible to find someone who could read/write Peasants easily cheated by anyone who could read and add Only wealthy families could afford to educate their children. Women were not usually deemed worthy of a formal education. Sons studied under very strict teachers to memorize the classics. They took extensive exams, which few could pass the first time. Those who did could become govt. officials and lived lives separate from the peasant majority. Peasants could not afford to send their sons to school, and those that did usually did not last long without their son’s income from the fields. Because of this, many villages had no one who could read or write. They were also cheated by the townspeople when they bargained for goods.

HEALTH & HYGIENE Very poor conditions Travel extreme distance to doctors Young girls most vulnerable “Foot binding” The conditions in the countryside were very poor before the revolution. There was limited knowledge about medicine and hygiene as well as chronic food shortages. Most villages did not have a doctor, so if they could afford a doctor people had to travel long distances to be treated. Young girls were the most vulnerable because families places greater value on young boys, so they were the first fed during times of food shortage. Women were also at greater risk because of foot binding- the practice of wrapping your foot in tight bandages so it would not grow. They would break and not grow past 6 inches (3 inches was the ideal). There were often infections and caused problems for women as they aged.

BINDING FEET FOR WOMEN Having tiny feet was a sign of beauty and wealth and men were attracted to women with small feet.   Foot Binding is an attempt to stop growing your feet and usually began between the ages of four and seven. A ten foot long bandage was wrapped tightly around the foot. This bandage forced the four small toes to go under the bottom of the foot. This made the foot become more narrow, but also shorter because it forced the big toe and the heel of the foot to become closer together by bowing the arch of the foot. An ideal foot should be no longer than three inches. The clef between the heel and the sole should be two to three inches deep. Finally, the foot should appear as an extension of the leg, rather than a stand for the body. To achieve the perfect foot, girls would walk long distances so their own body weight would crush the foot into its deformed shape. After two years of extreme pain, you would get a tiny pair of folded feet, but become unable to move normally. The tradition is carried out for ten years to make sure the toes stay in place.

Binding Feet

STANDARD OF LIVING ½ peasants earnings went to landlord Families shared one-room hut Very difficult for peasants to improve their lives The standard of living for peasants in the countryside was extremely low. Despite working hard all year peasants earned very little. Landlords paid low prices for the crops that peasants grew, but then raised prices when peasants needed to buy crops to feed their families. In addition, ½ the family’s income went to the landlord to pay rent and taxes. Peasants had few possessions and did not have enough food to eat or adequate clothing. Most peasant families lived in one room huts and shared a single bed. They had little way to improve their life.