In this paper the traditions and rituals of China in the late nineteenth and early

twentieth centuries will be compared with the traditions and rituals found in the novel The

Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck. The traditions and rituals of foot-binding,

marriage, the relationship between man and woman, ancestor worship, and the New Years

celebration affected the lives of Wang and O-lan Lung, the principle characters in The

Good Earth. Such practices were common in Chinese culture of that era, although there

were important differences in the practices of the upper and the lower classes. The

following paragraphs, the first part of the paper, describe the typical way that the

traditions were carried out by the upper class Chinese. The second part of the paper

describes of how Wang and O-lan, who were peasants observed these traditions.

One of the most peculiar rituals that the ancient Chinese took part in for hundreds

of years was that of foot-binding. "During the Song Dynasty, it became fashionable for

women to have small dainty feet" (Odijk 22). In the Chinese culture, the women were

considered desirable by Chinese men if the women had small, dainty feet. The process of

obtaining small feet began at a very early age and continued until the woman's feet have

stopped growing. The feet were bound exceptionally tight so they would not grow, or

grow at a very slow rate. Many of the women who had their feet bound, could not walk

easily, or for long periods of time, without frequent rest because there was a tremendous

amount of pressure put on the miniature feet. If a woman did not have her feet bound, it

would be extremely hard for the woman's family to find her a suitor willing to marry a

woman considered unsuitable. If a baby girl was a daughter of a peasant farmer, she did

not have her feet bound because she would be needed in the fields (Odijk 22). This

process played a part in the intricate marriage ritual. However this process was banned in

the early twentieth century(Odijk 22).

Marriage in traditional china was not left in the hands of the young mates, but

rather in the hands of their parents (Odijk 22). The extent to which the families carried

out this tradition varied on the amount of money that the families had. The marriage

tradition was an event in which was well planned by both the man's and the woman's

family. The process of marriage began with the proposing of the man's family and the

acceptance of the proposal by the woman's family. The two families would have a person

called a go-between would handle the relations of the two families (Chinese Wedding

Traditions URL). The parents of the man would have the go-between present gifts to the

woman's family. If the woman's family accepted the gifts from the man's family, presented

by the go-between, they would permit the marriage to take place. The woman's family

would then sign documents stating information about the woman and give it to the go-

between. The go-between would then bring the document to the man's family. The man's

family would present the document to their ancestors on the altar in their house for three

days. If there were no unfortunate signs, such as natural disasters within that time period,

the man's family would bring the document to an astrologer to confirm that the man and

the woman would make a good match as husband and wife. The man's family would sign

the document and the go-between would present this document to the woman's family.

The woman's family would then carry out the same process.

If both families agreed that the man and the woman were suitable for each other,

they would meet for the first time to debate about the terms of the marriage. If the

families agreed, they would move on to the next step, the betrothal. In the betrothal

money is exchanged, as discussed in the terms of the marriage. The money exchanged

was called the "marriage tokens" (Chinese Wedding Traditions URL). The man's family

offered the marriage tokens to the woman's family and arranged the wedding date. The

man's family would also give more gifts such as tea and silk. The woman's family would

give gifts to the man's family, such as clothing and food. After the exchange of gifts, the

woman's family would acknowledge that the bride-to-be now belonged to the man's

family. Even at this point, in most cases, the bride and groom have not yet met.

After the betrothal, the woman's family would present a dowry (Odijk 25). A

dowry is a multitude of gifts that would be presented to the man's family for use around

the house (Chinese Wedding Traditions URL). The dowry was a good thing for both

families because the man's family received another gift and the woman's family was able to

show off the wealth they had.

Other practices associated with marriage were the hair dressing ritual and the

capping ritual (Chinese Wedding Traditions URL). The bride would spend hours upon

hours cleaning and purifying her hair for her new life. In the capping ritual, the groom

would kneel before the family's ancestors dressed in red silk and other special garments.

The purpose of this ritual was for spiritual guidance in the man's marriage.

The wedding ceremony would begin with an elaborate procession or marching

from the groom's house to the bride's house, and then on to where the marriage was going

to take place. The ceremony usually took place at the groom's family alter. The bride and

groom would pay homage to the ancestors before the ceremony was over.

Quickly after the ceremony was over the couple would go into the bridal chamber.

There they would sit on their new bed, which was a present to the couple, and share a

glass of wine, each one of them taking sips. The bridal chamber was open to visitors for

the next few days for those who wanted to take a look. Then banquets were held by the

parents of the groom and the parents of the bride. The most popular of the feasts was the

one given by the parents of the groom. During these festivities, men and women sat in

two different sections. The day after the wedding the bride was formally introduced to the

groom's relatives and family. At dawn the bride would honor the ancestors and kneel

before each of the older living relatives. Where she kneeled before the elders, each would

give her a small gift. Three days after the wedding, the couple would take a trip to the

bride's family home. There she was no longer treated as a daughter. Rather, she was

treated as a guest, signifying that the bride now belongs to her husband (Chinese Wedding

Traditions URL).

The relationship between man and woman was that of dominance of the man over

the woman. The woman was put at the bottom of the social class and was not treated the

same way as the husband in the marriage. In the marriage, the woman had to walk twenty

paces behind the husband and she was expected to do whatever the husband commands

her to do. The woman was also not allowed to speak unless she was spoken to. Another

way the women were powerless in society is that were not allowed to take part in any of

the decisions of their community. Women could not go out and find work or fight in

battles. They were expected to stay home and tend to the house and kids ("China").

Ancestor worship was a very important factor in the life of the Chinese. From the

earliest times, the Chinese believed that the souls of people lived after death (Odijk 23). It

was one of the most important customs of the Chinese, because the people would pray for

spiritual guidance. There was an altar in just about every home and it was the

responsibility of the male descendants to worship, and care for the dead souls, such as

keeping their graves in good condition. The people would pray upon the altar for inner

peace and decisions that needed to be made.

Another tradition that was practiced among all of the Chinese people was the

celebration of the Chinese New Year. Houses were prepared in red, "the color of

happiness" (Odijk 22), and elaborate productions were performed on the day of the New

Year. Fireworks were displayed and parades ran down the streets.

Many of the traditions and rituals of the Chinese are incorporated into the book,

The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck. How these customs were practiced by peasant

farmers is portrayed by the main characters, Wang and O-lan. Some traditions were

observed in much the same way as most Chinese of their time. However, some traditions

were carried out by Wang and O-lan in a different way, not the way that was considered

normal for "the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries" (Buck-Readers Supplement

5).

In The Good Earth, O-lan's feet were not bound. This upset Wang. However,

Wang knew that he could not do anything about that because he could barely afford O-lan

as it was. At times, all Wang could notice was her big feet. "Wang Lung, watched her

move steadily about the rooms, slowly on her big feet" (Buck 21). He remained bitter for

a long period of time. It proved beneficial that her feet were not bound when she had to

help Wang in the fields. With O-lan's help, Wang had several successful growing seasons

and became wealthy. Later he lost his wealth and O-lan helped him to regain his fortune.

Through all of this he never forgot his desire for a women with bound feet. With his new

wealth, he could afford to buy a concubine with bound feet, named Lotus-Flower

The wedding between Wang and O-lan was very unlike that of the ancient Chinese

weddings with the big processions and ceremonies. Wang was poor so he could not

afford any ceremony and he simply bought O-lan, who was a servant in the House of

Hwang. Since Wang had very little money there was no elaborate exchange of gifts or

betrothal. The idea of being married was very good in Wang's eyes. For the first three

months he "would do nothing but watch this women of his" (Buck 20).

In the beginning, the relationship between Wang and O-lan was a special

relationship in many ways. In some ways the relationship was like that of a normal

relationship between husband and wife in ancient China. O-lan was submissive to Wang,

she had to walk 20 paces behind Wang when they were walking along the side of the road.

She did not express her opinion all of the time. However the relationship between Wang

and O-lan was different from the normal relationships of that time in other ways. O-lan

sometimes played a part in the decision making. O-lan would also do things that Wang

did not have the courage to do. She made the decision to kill their ox for food. Wang did

not have the courage to kill the ox because it had sentimental value to him. O-lan

slaughtered the beast in order to help to keep the family alive. This was unheard of in

China at the time because women were not expected to do anything that physical. O-lan

also worked along side Wang in the fields, which was unheard of in their day. When

Wang and his family were poor and living in the city, O-lan provided the basic necessities

of food and shelter and money, which she had stolen in a riot. Her role in the family, as a

provider, even in time of need, was not acceptable according to their customs. However,

her actions helped Wang to succeed.

The worship aspect of Wang's life was a very important part of his life. In the

early part of his life, he could not afford a shrine to be built in his house. He could barely

afford the earthen hut that he was living in at the time, so he would stop by a roadside

worship center. He would stop by the shrine everyday praying and asking for guidance for

the decisions that he would have to make in the day. Wang took everything very

seriously. When something bad happened to him such as a natural disaster, he would

immediately blame the roadside shrine and ask many times if he had done something

horrible to upset the gods. When he was angry at the gods, he would turn away from

them and then soon turn away from the land. One day he was walking by the roadside

temple and he said out loud, "Thus it is with gods who do evil to men" (Buck 103). When

things were not going well for him for prolonged periods of time he would turn back to

the roadside shrine and the gods. Wang was at his happiest times in his life when he was

with the gods and the land, two of the most sacred things in his life.

Another celebration that Wang and O-lan took part of was the New Year's

celebration. O-lan would set up the house in a specific way, all in red, just like all of the

other Chinese people celebrating the New Year. She would make various decorations in

red because red signifies happiness and celebration.

The Good Earth depicts the contrasting lifestyle and customs of the rich and poor

in the 19th century China and how one man desired the good life above all else. So strong

was Wang's desire for a women with bound feet and his desire to be apart of the upper

class, that he forgot all that his wife had done for him to get him there. After he became

wealthy and had a concubine, servants, and property, his relationship with O-lan was never

the same again. She was treated like property. When Wang was getting older, his sons

were no longer interested in him, only in his property and how they could benefit from his

death.