Chinese Kinship Systems Essay -- China Chinese Kin Kinship Essays

Chinese Kinship SystemsWorks Cited MissingIt would be unimaginable to disagree with the statement that Chinese kinship is based on manful pre strength. In fact this statement may even be under-emphasizing the control and absolute power that viriles wield across all levels of Chinese society. Of course, where their power initially comes from though, is done the family or termed differently the jia. It is this extended or pattern family that cultivates the consistent direct form of control/descent and dictates that foyer in said jia is primarily patrilocal. That being said, what I hope to be able to create over the following pages is a cleargonr understanding of the nonpareil (Chinese) outline of control. This ideal system,based on the ideal of male predominance, is outlined impeccably in the writings of Baker, Wat male child and Xiaotong. There are also excellent examples of an ideal jia and its power structure in Wolfs ethnography, The House of Lim. entirely Wolfs ethnography also outlines examples whereby the ideal system of dominance is non always put into practice or is just not as smooth running as the writings of the 3 agent anthropologists would have you believe. It is my aim then, to include examples of a patriarchal system encountering problems and realities that are difficult to explain in an ideal sense.There is slender doubt, according to Baker, that the runner and foremost aspect to understanding Chinese families and society at braggy is the importance placed on male relationships and descent that is traced through a male line. In contrast, women in Chinese society were given little thought and even less power. They were to be used as reproducers of the male line and to aid in home/farm labour, apart from this women had entirely small amounts of power and responsibility. In fact, the patriarchal system demanded that a wifes only connection with her husbands family be through the husband himself. Her future then, was caught up with his and her sons only, and she is expected to see her husbands interests as paramount in importance (Baker, 1979).Yet, women and childbirth, were essential to the continuation of the patrilineal system, which started with the birth of a son or sons to any kinship system be they peasant or gentry class. It was considered vitally important in Chinese society, that a wife bare a son as soon as possible not only for the... ...cumstances would be in Chieng-cuas position is still alive and now has a son (Lim A-bok) who is contributing a full share to the family budget. Undoubtedly this ambiguity in structure of the family influences the attitudes of Lim A-pou and her son.This ambiguity was the eventual death of the united Lim family. Walls were mounted, positions fade out and property/wealth were divided up as equally as possible. It was not though, the death of the patrilineal system. Patrilocal residence would continue for all of the Lim (future) families, heritable worship would also c ontinue and male dominance and gender variation would still reign supreme. In fact very little underneath the surface or socially would change at all, the family would remain a residential and economic unit composed primarily of males. And in magnitude to reproduce itself it would still be forced to import women as brides, and lean of females born into it by marrying them off to other families. Finally, it would continue to lay reasoned stress on relationships through males, and tended to play down those through females, piece there was an accompanying stress on the importance of men as opposed to women (Baker, 1979).