Who would have thought that in that era known as the "Republic of China", there would be such an unbearable dark side hidden? We always relish the literati, talents, and beauties of that period, and indulge in the poems and songs they left behind. However, under these glamorous appearances, there are the blood, tears and wails of countless low-level people. Especially in the vast rural areas, a heinous bad habit is raging: the landlords can take the peasant girls at will! This kind of behavior not only tramples on human nature, but also a great blasphemy against traditional morality. It's like an unspeakable secret, buried deep in the dust of history. What kind of social environment has created such heinous evil acts? What kind of contest of power and desire is hidden behind this?
The right to the first night, this chilling word, has a long history in human history. It can be traced back to ancient societies and exists in different forms all over the world. In Western feudal society, the right of the first night was regarded as the privilege of the lord, while in ancient China, although there was no clear term for the "right of the first night", similar systems and phenomena were not uncommon.
In the European Middle Ages, the right to the first night was called "lordship" or "first night privilege". It is recorded that in some parts of Scotland, lords enjoyed the "right of first night" over the wives of newlywed serfs. This practice is not only found in Europe, but also in tribal societies in Africa, South America and other places. For example, in some African tribes, chiefs have the right to have sex with maidens in the tribe, which is seen as a "glory".
However, behind this so-called "glory" is actually a naked abuse of power and the exploitation of the vulnerable. In ancient China, although there was no explicit system of "the right of the first night", similar phenomena existed in other forms. For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the rulers of some vassal states had the evil act of forcibly seizing the people's daughters. The famous "Chen Linggong" was finally killed because he forcibly seized his subordinates' wives many times.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, as the feudal system became increasingly decaying, some local officials and landlords began to emulate this bad behavior. With the help of their power and wealth, they wantonly violated the rights and interests of ordinary people, including the forcible seizure of women. Although this kind of behavior was not openly allowed by the imperial court, it was repeatedly banned at the local level.
In the period of the Republic of China, social turmoil, government control weakened, and local forces became stronger. Some landlords took the opportunity to expand their power, and even pretended to be the government and did whatever they wanted in the township. Under these circumstances, the bad habit of "the right of the first night" has begun to become public and widespread in some areas.
Taking the Suqian area of Jiangsu Province as an example, there have been many vicious incidents in which landlords forcibly seized peasant brides. In 1923, a large landowner in the north of Suqian County, relying on his wealth, forcibly seized the bride of a tenant's family many times. Far from being punished, this behavior has become an unwritten rule in the local area.
What is even more frightening is that this bad habit has evolved into a "tradition" in some areas. In a certain county in Shandong, there used to be such a saying: "It is difficult to become a good daughter-in-law without being washed by old wealth." Although this sentence is absurd, it truly reflects the social reality of some regions at that time.
It is important to note that this phenomenon is not confined to one region. In the North China Plain, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and other developed agricultural areas, similar incidents occur from time to time. For example, in some rural villages in Henan Province, landlords would even send people to forcibly take their brides away on their wedding days. This kind of behavior not only destroys the happiness of countless families, but also brings great harm to the whole society.
With the decline of feudalism, Chinese society ushered in the rapid rise of a new class, the landlord class. This process began in the Ming and Qing dynasties and reached its peak during the Republic of China. The rise of the landlord class not only changed China's social structure, but also provided the soil for the prevalence of bad behaviors such as the "right of the first night".
In traditional feudal societies, land was mainly in the hands of royalty, nobility, and bureaucracy. However, with the development of the commodity economy and the popularization of money, a group of merchants with economic power began to buy land in large quantities. At the same time, some declining bureaucrats and local tycoons also annexed land by various means. This trend of land annexation reached a climax in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.
In Shandong Province, for example, according to statistics in 1930, about 70% of the province's arable land was concentrated in the hands of less than 10% of the population. These people were the emerging landlord class. Some of them were originally ordinary peasants, who had amassed wealth through usury and other means; Some are businessmen-turned; Others are local officials or their relatives who use their power to grab land.
The rise of the landlord class was accompanied by the brutal exploitation of the peasants. They used a variety of means to extract the fruits of the peasants' labor. The most common is the charge of high ground rent. In Jiangsu Province, land rents in some areas are as high as 70% of the harvest. This means that farmers toiled for a year and ended up with less than 30% of the harvest.
In addition to the high rents, the landlords also invented a variety of surcharges. For example, in some areas of Anhui Province, landlords would charge "whip money", "tea money" and other fees. These may seem like small amounts, but they are a heavy burden for poor farmers.
To make matters worse, many landlords also operated usury
They take advantage of the plight of farmers and lend at interest rates of up to 30 percent or more per month. Once the peasants were unable to repay, the landlords would forcibly claim their land or other property. As a result, many peasants lost their subsistence land and became tenant farmers or hired farmers.
In this case, the power of the landlords swelled. Not only did they control economic resources, but they also gradually gained political power at the local level. Many landlords have become officials or advisers to local governments through bribery or other means. This makes their behavior even more unscrupulous.
In a county in Zhejiang Province, for example, the county's largest claimant not only owns one-third of the county's land, but also becomes an advisor to the county government through various connections. He has used this status to obstruct the implementation of policies that are unfavorable to him on many occasions and even interfere with judicial decisions. In 1935, a local tenant farmer was forcibly seized by Zhang because he was unable to repay the loan shark. The tenant farmer complained to the county government, but with Zhang's intervention, it was eventually dismissed.
The power of the landlords was not only reflected in the economic and political aspects, but also extended to all aspects of social life. They are often the "patriarchs" or "squires" of the village, who hold the power to decide on social affairs such as weddings and funerals. This facilitates their egregious acts such as the "right of the first night".
In a village in Hunan Province, Li, the largest landlord in the village, repeatedly forced young women from the village to "serve" in his home in the name of "sacrifice." Although this behavior caused dissatisfaction among the villagers, no one dared to openly oppose it due to Li's strong influence in the local area.
Local governments tend to acquiesce or even condone this situation. On the one hand, many local officials themselves are inextricably linked to the landlords; On the other hand, during the turbulent Republican period, local governments also needed to rely on landlords to maintain social order. This has led to the more and more unscrupulous behavior of the landlords, and the evil phenomena such as the "right of the first night" have become more and more serious in some areas.
With the rise of the landlord class and the continuous expansion of power, the heinous bad habit of "the right of the first night" gradually became a common phenomenon in some rural areas during the Republican period. This kind of behavior not only seriously violates the basic human rights of the peasants, but also has a tremendous impact on the morality of the entire society.
In a remote mountain village in Jiangxi Province, such a horrific incident occurred. In the spring of 1934, a pair of young people in the village, Wang Dazhu and Li Xiaohua, were about to get married. On the eve of the wedding, Mr. Zhao, the largest landlord in the village, sent someone to forcibly take Li Xiaohua to his house. Mr. Zhao claimed that this was the "rule" of the village, and that the bride must first go to his house to "spend the night" before she could get married. Although Wang Dazhu and Li Xiaohua's families were furious, they were helpless under the authority of Master Zhao. In the end, Li Xiaohua was forced to spend that nightmarish night at Zhao's house, and was sent home the next day to get married. This incident caused an uproar in the village, but no one dared to publicly accuse Master Zhao of his actions.
Similar incidents were not unique in the countryside at that time. In some areas of Henan Province, there is even a so-called "skirt washing" custom. In the name of "washing dresses", landlords would ask the bride to come to their homes to "serve" before the wedding. This kind of behavior is called "getting rid of impurity," but it is in fact a blatant violation and humiliation.
What is even more frightening is that in some places, this bad habit has evolved into a "system". In some villages in Shandong Province, landlords even charge farmers what they call a "first night fee" when they get married. If the peasant family could not afford to pay the fee, the landlord would forcibly take the bride away on the grounds of "paying on behalf of the family". This practice not only violates the rights and interests of individuals, but also seriously tramples on the marriage system.
The implementation of the "right of the first night" has caused deep psychological damage to peasant families. Many brides of peasant families tend to fall into chronic depression and low self-esteem after suffering such insults. Some even commit suicide because of it. In a village in Anhui Province, there was such a tragedy: a newly married peasant daughter-in-law committed suicide by jumping into a well on the third day after being forcibly occupied by a landlord because she could not bear the huge psychological pressure. The incident caused a great shock in the local area, but in the end it was not resolved.
Not only the victims themselves, but also the entire family will suffer great psychological trauma. Many husbands are unable to accept the fact that their wives have been violated, leading to the breakdown of family relationships. In one case in Hubei Province, a farmer who learned that his new wife had been forcibly seized by a landlord took out all his resentment on her, often punching and kicking her. Eventually, the family disintegrated in misery.
The prevalence of the "right of the first night" has also led to the overall decline of social morality. In some areas, people are becoming accustomed to this absurd practice. In order to curry favor with the landlord, some peasant families even took the initiative to send their daughters to the landlord's home to "serve". This kind of behavior not only distorts normal ethics and morality, but also seriously damages social fairness and justice.
In one village in Jiangsu Province, there is such a deformity: some families will deliberately dress up their daughters beautifully, hoping to be favored by the landlord and thus receive some special care. Although this practice was despicable, it was regarded by some people as a "wise move" in the social environment at the time.
What's more, this bad habit also affects the growth of the next generation to a certain extent. In some areas, young people are exposed to this abnormal behaviour from an early age, leading to serious distortions in their relationships and marital values. Some young people even regard "being favored by the landlord" as an honor, and the harm of this concept is self-evident.
With the prevalence of the bad habit of "the right of the first night" in some rural areas during the Republic of China, all sectors of society gradually began to pay attention to and oppose this phenomenon. From ordinary peasants to intellectuals, from local governments to the central government, different groups have different attitudes and actions towards this issue.
In the civil society, the most direct resistance often comes from the victims and their families. In 1936, a sensational case occurred in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province. On the night of his wedding, a local farmer named Zhang San found that his bride had been forcibly taken away by the landlord. Zhang San was furious and led several villagers to rush into the landlord's house and rescue the bride. Although this behavior violated the "rules" of the time, it was widely supported by the villagers. Annoyed and angry, the landlord sent people to beat Zhang San and threatened to drive him out of the village. However, in the face of the solidarity of the villagers, the landlords eventually had to make concessions and promised not to implement the "right of the first night". The incident had a profound impact on the ground, inspiring more farmers to stand up against this injustice.
Intellectuals played an important role in the struggle. In 1933, the famous writer Shen Congwen depicted the harm brought by the "right of the first night" to the countryside through delicate brushstrokes in his work "Border City". Although the word "right to the first night" is not directly used in the book, the cruelty of this bad habit is profoundly revealed through the portrayal of the fate of the characters. This work attracted a lot of attention at the time, and more urban residents were exposed to this dark side of the countryside.
In addition to literature, some progressive intellectuals exposed and criticized this phenomenon through newspapers and magazines. In 1935, the Manifesto published an article entitled "Bad Habits in the Countryside Need to Be Eradicated", which described in detail the implementation of the "right of the first night" in a village in Jiangxi Province and called on the government to take action to stop this behavior. This article has aroused strong repercussions in the society, prompting more people to pay attention to this issue.
Local governments' attitudes towards the "right of the first night" are mixed. Some local officials, out of the sake of maintaining social stability, often choose to acquiesce or avoid the issue. However, there are also progressive officials who have tried to curb this bad practice through administrative means. In 1934, the magistrate of a county in Sichuan Province ordered a strict ban on the implementation of the "right of first night", and violators would be severely punished. Although the order has met with many obstacles in practice, it still shows that local governments are beginning to face up to the problem.
The central government's attitude towards the "right of the first night" has gone through a process from neglect to attention. In the early years of the Republic of China, due to political turmoil, the central government often had no time to take care of such local bad habits. However, with the continuous fermentation of public opinion, the central government has also begun to take some measures. In 1936, the Ministry of the Interior of the Nationalist Government issued a circular requiring local governments to investigate and prohibit "unethical" village customs. Although the notice does not explicitly mention the "right of the first night", it provides a policy basis for local governments to crack down on such behavior.
In addition to the government and intellectuals, a number of social groups also played an important role in the struggle. In 1935, in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, a group of progressive youths organized the "Rural Reform Association", one of the important tasks of which was to eliminate bad habits such as the "right of the first night" through propaganda and education. They went deep into the countryside, held lectures, distributed leaflets, and tried to awaken the peasants' awareness of their rights. Although these efforts did not produce significant results in the short term, they sowed the seeds for subsequent social change.
However, the struggle against the "right of the first night" has not been without its challenges. In some areas, rebels often faced serious reprisals because of the power of the landlords. In 1937, in a village in Anhui Province, a peasant named Li Si was framed by the landlord for "disturbing social order" for his public opposition to the "right of the first night" and was eventually imprisoned. This incident caused strong dissatisfaction among the local peasants, but they were powerless to change the status quo under the suppression of the landlords.
It is worth noting that with the full-scale outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, the society's attention to the issue of "the right of the first night" has decreased. In many areas, attention was focused on the war of resistance, and local bad customs such as the "right of the first night" were temporarily put aside. However, this does not mean that this issue has been solved. In some remote areas, this bad habit still exists in the shadows, waiting for deeper social changes to eradicate it completely.
With the founding of New China
The bad habit of "the right of the first night" has finally come to an end in history. However, this process did not happen overnight, but went through a complex series of social changes and legal adjustments.
On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was proclaimed. The new regime quickly launched a series of campaigns aimed at changing the face of the countryside, among which the agrarian reform movement played a decisive role in eliminating the "right of the first night". In a village in Shandong Province, local peasants, led by a land reform team, put on public trial a landlord who had long practiced the "right of the first night." The landowner was not only confiscated of all his property, but also sentenced to a prison sentence. The trial had a huge impact on the ground, and many peasants felt the changes brought about by the new regime for the first time.
However, in some remote areas, the remnants of the "right of the first night" remain. In 1951, a shocking incident occurred in a mountain village in Guizhou Province. An old landlord's attempt to continue exercising the "right of the first night" in the new social environment aroused the anger of the whole village. The villagers spontaneously organized themselves to arrest the landlord and hand him over to the government. The incident was later used by the local government as an educational material to educate more villagers about the laws and morals of the new society.
In order to fundamentally eliminate the "right of the first night", the new regime has adopted a series of legal and policy measures. On May 1, 1950, the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China was officially promulgated and implemented. The law clearly stipulates the freedom of marriage and monogamy, and strictly prohibits any form of arrangement, forced marriage and interference with the freedom of marriage. Although there is no direct reference to the "right of the first night" in the law, these provisions provide a legal basis for the complete abolition of this practice.
After the promulgation of the law, local governments began to actively promote the new concept of marriage. In a county town in Jiangxi Province, the local government organized a huge demonstration of "new weddings". A young peasant couple was married in the presence of thousands of people, without any trace of feudal customs in the whole process. The wedding caused a great response in the local area, and many young people began to emulate this new style of wedding.
In addition to law and awareness-raising, education has also played an important role in eliminating the "right to the first night". In 1952, a rural primary school in Hebei Province began offering a course on "Marriage Law" among senior students. The teachers explained the new concept of marriage and legal knowledge to the students in an easy-to-understand way. These students later became an important force in spreading new ideas in the village.
However, the complete elimination of the "right of the first night" has not been without its challenges. In some areas, because traditional beliefs are deeply entrenched, some people still try to maintain this bad habit in various ways. In 1953, in a village in Hunan Province, an elderly woman tried to convince her granddaughter to follow the "old rules" when she got married, causing alarm from the local women's director. The Women's Director intervened in time and patiently persuaded the elderly woman to educate her, eventually succeeding in stopping the attempt.
With the continuous progress of society, the "right of the first night" has gradually become what people call a "historical relic". By the beginning of the 60s of the 20th century, even in the most remote mountainous areas, rumors of the "right of the first night" were rarely heard again. However, that doesn't mean people forget about this dark history.
In 1965, an old writer named Zhang Ming recounted in detail in his memoirs that he had witnessed the "Right of the First Night" when he was young. He described the fear and helplessness that prevailed in the countryside at that time, as well as the dramatic changes in the social landscape after the founding of the People's Republic of China. This memoir caused a lot of discussion in the cultural circles of the time, and people began to reflect on the impact of this period of history on the national character.
After entering the period of reform and opening up, the topic of "the right of the first night" has once again attracted the attention of the academic community. In 1982, a research team at a university began a systematic study of the evolution of the "first night right" in Chinese history. Through a large number of fieldwork and documentary research, they tried to restore the historical truth of this bad habit. This research was later compiled into a book and became an important reference material for the study of modern Chinese social history.
As time goes by, fewer and fewer people have experienced the era of "first night rights" firsthand. However, the lessons of this history will never be forgotten. In many places, the story of the "Right to the First Night" is still used as cautionary educational material, a reminder to cherish the hard-won new society. In a village in Sichuan Province, a local cultural station even set up a small exhibition to show the younger generation that dark history and the dramatic changes in the face of the countryside after the founding of the People's Republic of China.