Essay, Research Paper: Traditions And Rituals Of China In The Late 18th And Early 19th Centuries

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.