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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
In ancient times, it was a mysterious and sacred thing for a woman to give birth to a child, yet it is puzzling that men – even the biological father of the child – were strictly forbidden to be present.
This taboo is not only present in traditional Chinese culture, but also in many other ancient civilizations. Why are there such strict regulations?
So, is it to protect the privacy of the mother, or is it because of some superstition and the constraints of tradition? What kind of values and family values does this mysterious traditional taboo reflect in ancient society?
1. The pre-Qin period: the germination of the concept of fertility
In the pre-Qin period, the idea of motherhood as unclean already existed. Whether it is the aristocracy or the common people, pregnant women who are in labor must be isolated from their husbands.
This practice stems from the self-protection measures of men in primitive societies, who saw childbirth as a bad omen for fear of being harmed.
Although this concept did not form a systematic taboo in the pre-Qin period, it was deeply rooted in people's consciousness. Men's fear and rejection of the childbirth process reflect their instinctive fear of the unknown.
In the process, women have become the object of isolation and discrimination, and their feelings and needs have been completely ignored, and this inequality has laid the groundwork for even stricter taboos in the future.
Aristocrats vs Commoners: The way of segregation is very different
The palace of the pre-Qin nobility was divided into a swallow bed and a main bed. The main bed is a place where the male owner fasts before the sacrifice, rests when he is sick, and holds funeral ceremonies; The swallow bed is the daily living place of the family.
Before giving birth, the pregnant woman must be moved from the swallow bed to the side chamber to wait for delivery. Before the birth of a baby, the husband is required to go outside the door twice a day to inquire about the situation, but he is not allowed to see his wife in person. Until the full moon, the husband could not step into the side room for half a step.
This strict segregation system reflects the importance and caution of the aristocratic class in the process of childbearing. They isolate the mother from the rest of the family through spatial separation, in the hope of avoiding contamination by unclean gases.
However, although this practice has a certain degree of reasonableness, it invisibly increases the psychological burden of the mother, making her feel more lonely and helpless in the already difficult delivery process.
Due to the constraints of ordinary people, there is no special room for pregnant women, so their husbands take the initiative to avoid them. In short, the separation of mothers and husbands has become a law, regardless of whether they are high or poor.
This segregation, while not as strict as that of the aristocracy, also reflects the exclusion of women from childbirth in male-dominated societies.
In this environment, mothers are often left alone to endure the pain of childbirth, without the support and comfort of their husbands. This situation not only increases the physical and mental burden of the mother, but also invisibly affects the relationship between the husband and wife.
2. Han Dynasty society: the ultimate manifestation of husband's power
The individual family arose, and the power of the husband was strengthened
After the Qin and Han dynasties, the individual family gradually became the mainstream of society. Dong Zhongshu combined the idea of yin and yang with Confucian ethics, and the power of the husband was further strengthened. Under the principle of the supremacy of husband's authority, in order to seek good fortune and avoid evil, mothers are often expelled from their homes.
This practice is a continuation and reinforcement of the concept of isolation in the pre-Qin period. The family structure of Han society underwent major changes, and the rise of individual families led to an unprecedented strengthening of patriarchal power.
Against this backdrop, fertility taboos have also become more stringent. As the head of the family, the husband controls all the affairs of the family, including the birth of his wife.
In order to maintain the auspiciousness and purity of the family, the mother is often regarded as an unclean person and is expelled from the home, which is also another harm to the woman.
That's where the nursery comes in: waiting for a baby in the wild is no longer desolate
Waiting for a baby in the wild is already dangerous, so in some places there are nurseries dedicated to providing services for mothers. Many pregnant women leave home and stay in the nursing house until the full moon when their due date comes.
Although the nursing house provides shelter for mothers, it is by no means a medical facility and cannot provide professional care. The emergence of the nursing house has alleviated the plight of the mother to a certain extent.
It provides a relatively safe haven for pregnant women who have been evicted from their homes, so that they no longer have to wait for childbirth in the wilderness.
However, the nursing house is not a home after all, and mothers still have to deal with the unfamiliarity of the environment and the uneasiness of the crowd. What's more, the nursery is not a medical facility and cannot provide professional medical care to mothers.
In the absence of modern medical knowledge and equipment, the health of both mothers and babies is at great risk. Therefore, although the emergence of the nursing house has alleviated the plight of mothers to a certain extent, it has not fundamentally changed their situation.
"Not suitable to return to life" and "not to have children": the power game behind the taboo
In the Han Dynasty, there was also a taboo of "not suitable for returning to life", believing that returning to her mother's home to give birth would cause her mother's family to decline. In fact, this taboo is intended to prevent the mother from "changing women for men" in her mother's family and to maintain the purity of the child's bloodline.
The taboo of "unfit to return to life" reflects the importance that Han society attached to the continuation of the family bloodline. Under the traditional concept of preference for sons over daughters, maintaining the purity of the children's bloodline has become the primary task of the family. The return of the mother to her mother's home to give birth is seen as a threat to this task.
There are fears that mothers will take the opportunity to "change women for men" and replace their own female babies with other people's male babies, thus destroying the continuity of the family bloodline. Therefore, although this taboo has the appearance of safeguarding the interests of the family, it is actually another deprivation of women's reproductive autonomy.
The custom of "not giving birth to children" is also prevalent. Children born on certain days or in unusual health are considered bad omen and are abandoned. This is ostensibly for the sake of the safety of parents, but in fact it reflects the interests of patriarchy.
The prevalence of the custom of "giving birth without raising children" reflects the great importance that Han society attached to the results of childbirth. People associate a baby's date of birth and physical characteristics with good luck and bad luck, believing that an unlucky baby can bring disaster to the family.
However, this practice is in fact a denial of the value of a baby's life and a disregard for the mother's reproductive rights. It puts the outcome of procreation entirely under the patriarchal criterion, ignoring the feelings and needs of the mother.
Therefore, although the custom of "giving birth to children without raising children" has the appearance of avoiding evil and seeking good fortune, it is actually the dual oppression of women and babies in a patriarchal society.
3. Mother's helplessness: the lack of the right to speak
The tragedy of the disadvantaged: from Tian Wen's mother to Tian Wuqi
In patriarchal societies, mothers who are weak after childbirth are often unable to express their wishes. Take Tian Wenmu and Tian Wuqi as examples, as low-status concubines, it is difficult for them to even protect their own rights and interests, let alone protect the babies born on the death day.
Therefore, the tragedy of "not having children" happens from time to time. This phenomenon reflects the lack of mother's voice in Han society. As a vulnerable group in the family, conjunctive mothers often find it difficult to defend their own basic rights and interests, let alone speak up for their infants' right to life.
They can only silently accept the arrangement of their husbands and families, and watch their children being abandoned. This sense of powerlessness and despair has become an eternal pain in the hearts of countless mothers.
Guanghou does not cure the root cause and obeys himself: the silent cry of maternal love
Even if she is as noble as the queen of the Han Dynasty, it is difficult to shake it in the face of this cruel taboo. According to the Book of Han, Empress Guang categorically refused to give her own mother, the empress, the service she deserved.
She once said: "I am a dead person in my own family." The world ridiculed this, but they didn't know that behind it was a mother's silent indictment of a cruel fate. The story of Guanghou reflects the embarrassment of the mother's status in the society of the Han Dynasty.
Even the queen in a high position could not change the helpless situation of mothers in the face of fertility taboos. They can only choose to forbear, choose to accept, and choose to bury their grief deep in their hearts.
Hirogo's attitude towards his own mother seems to be ruthless, but in fact it is a helpless compromise of unfair fate. Behind her words is a mother's silent cry of maternal love and deep sympathy for the tragic plight of women.
epilogue
Throughout the reproductive process of women in ancient times, behind all kinds of taboos and discrimination is the ruthless oppression of women by the patriarchal society. From the pre-Qin to the Han dynasty, patriarchal power and patriarchy were constantly strengthened, placing women on the fringes of power.
The isolation of mothers, the prohibition of returning to birth, and the abandonment of babies on the day of death are all in the lack of the right to speak.
Only by analyzing history and facing up to injustice can we move forward in reflection and pave a warm and bright road for mothers in the world with equality and love.