"Editor's note"
For agriculture, the researchers note in their hometowns in this paper series, author Zhang Xuelin is Hust, Chinese rural governance research center, PhD, discusses the current day price marriage, high bride prices formation and change of rural family.
One
High bride prices, change of family structure and family ethics, farmers market participation of the class differentiation and competitive anxiety of the unconscious adaptation, is the underlying social competition strategies. This picture from the network
My home is in bozhou, Anhui Province, Spring Festival went home on the train, sitting across a family of three, Anhui Fuyang Wo men, couples, 46, son is 22 years old, graduate from high school, daughter high at home. The couple have more than 10 years working in Yichang, Hubei Province, rent a façade being in the food business, selling fried dough sticks, sesame cakes and buns. Bozhou and Fuyang are in close proximity, distance 1 hour train, local culture is the same. Happened to me twice with the team in the village doing social research in Yichang, April 2013 respectively in the dianjun district of Yichang, December 2015 in Zigui County, Yichang city, it can be said the Yichang local family socio-cultural as well as familiar. So, just like fellow struck up a conversation and talk them out of life.
Cui aunt couple in Yichang, owners of small businesses for more than 10 years, not admitted to University high school, son, go to Yichang to help her parents, daughter of a person reading high school in my hometown. Several acres of land to the village the villagers, 450 Yuan/MU, only the Festival back home, and even some Chinese new year never to come back, just for more money. In front of the price increases, 2007 Trey aunt couples based on more than 1000 Yuan/square meter price, in Yichang city, bought a 60 square meters of commercial housing. Son who's 22 years old, reached the age of marriage, in Yichang on a local girl before, but because parents disagree, they broke up. Dating the son coming home for the Spring Festival this year, the daughter-in-law in a view is to find a home more reliable, at least family values and habits are the same. They feel local cultural conflicts in Yichang, which is root causes of Yichang, son and girlfriend split up.
Specifically, Cui aunt said her son's ex-girlfriend was unacceptable by most two points: first, living concept, Yichang was too much food and drink, very high standards for life. For CUI aunt is located in Anhui Province: "we live to eat and drink as long as decent lines, sometimes busy and has to eat, earn money accumulated were thrift, better left to the son. But for people in Yichang, the frugal life is unbearable, making money without spending fools, we eat or drink Word. "Second, the birth concept, whether it is a boy or a girl, having one is enough, do not want to have two kids, too many parents do not want to worry about their children, pay more attention to their enjoyment of life. Cui aunt, this is unacceptable because he is sure to have a son in the hometown of the parents life purpose is for his son to marry the daughter-in-law of grandchildren, usually not willing to not willing to eat and drink, is married to the son saved his money.
Now go home to his son married, according to the home rule, and Fuyang, bozhou and my hometown is located in Anhui Province, now the market price continues to rise, now married and in addition to the need to build a building for his son, but also paid 660,000 high bride prices. Cui aunts said they mostly built a two-story building in the village, there are also built three-story, three-layer simply not finished, there is no need, but are built. Son returning home for Spring Festival this year ready to dating, to raise her son in the marriage market, capital, she was thinking what do you want in a new building in the village, the home of the buildings was built 10 years ago. But doing business more than 10 years to make money, in his home town had bought 2 front rooms, Yichang city, also have a 60 square meters of houses. Cui aunt home new building now belongs to the pure nature of consumption, little and spend a lot of money, not to build, such as dating the son to look after the woman has what requirements.
Two
Chinese new year back home, whether Township neighbors stopping by to chat, relatives still maintain family gossip chat up the dower is married to scary stories. Two or three years ago, my cousin and my cousin marriage dowry of 100,000 to 120,000, this year's market has been generally rising to 150,000 to 160,000. And more recently home to Word of mouth is the story of a bride price to 200,000, the home of parents are feeling enormous pressure, under everyone couldn't help but sigh, "is amazing, that I get." Zhuang Xiang were all aware, there was a man asking for 200,000 head, slowly they all follow the object and eventually become a common market. Especially home have 2 sons and 3 sons, parents are anxious not to die. Households in our village, had 2 sons, the eldest son was 22 years old, little son is 18 years old, the eldest son has been dating several, have ended in failure. Township of discussing in the village are nieyibahan for learning, older son dating does not succeed, it is possible to play alone, youngest son was old enough to marry.
Son because in my hometown, once at the age of 21 the marriage has not been decided, parents began very anxious, because to 54 were more difficult to find, are likely to be phased out in the marriage market. Dating to the new situation this year is that the girl heard the House had 2 sons, not to mention the 3 sons, didn't even see sight. Girl dating dating standards from the past brothers now many families are now changed to an only child, wealthy, young parents are still alive, because if it is an only child and the parents are young and alive, and parents can work, earn money to an only child, can also help with the kids. When villagers cannot understand: "heard of two sons, didn't even see no see, this is what makes sense. Your vision, what's required, it even wants to see I. "That also have a very big impact on fertility of the villagers, and villagers seeking blessings for children in the past, brothers, family, no one dares bully and now really become" born two sons cry. " States let go of the child policy, but first gave birth to a son, while still wants to give birth to a daughter, but Leng did not dare, afraid of another son, then only cry.
The parents in my hometown just like Aunt Choi on the train, working hard to earn money, not willing to eat won't drink not willing to wear, just for the accumulation of the family wealth maximization and resources passed down between generations. Since my son was born at the moment, parents began to worry about his son, married to prepare for the future, because his son to marry a wife hit singles, parents not only ashamed of his life, graves was accused behind the Township around the neighborhood would parents incompetent. And if the parents eat drink, save money, and village public opinion would not accuse my parents are mixed, there was no money, and no one wants to give his son describes the object.
Yichang, Zigui, local culture and this is completely different, compared with parents worried about too little for his son, parent's main task in life is up to his son, sons marry marry is his own thing, parents have the capacity and taking their own lives under only auxiliary help marry. After married, parents are unlikely to help grandchildren, generation to generation, with grandson son is his own thing. Because resources are not passed down between generations of pressure, people focus on the accumulation of the family wealth, earning too much and spend too much, make less spend less, how much how much they make. To my surprise, was to investigate a village family was no more than half of the deposits of more than 50,000, and many families lived in the House.
In Zigui research, a 30-something young men in Beijing clothing factory mechanic, 2015 annual income of 96,000 yuan, which is quite high, even higher than many college graduates, but get rid of only 10,000 yuan left. There is a more than 70-year old woman and had a son more than 40 years old, single, but it did not affect her enjoyment of life. Farm raised three pigs at home, sell side, killed two pigs that year, when asked whether killing two pigs to eat too much, she says in surprise: "three people killed two pigs, still less a, how much. "In addition, every pound to drink liquor, only smoked one cigarette a month, every meal and meat," want fat with fat, like thin thin. " If this in my hometown, we definitely can't understand, to think that the parents were not in life. Comparison between Yichang Zigui parents easy comfortable stress-free life, the enjoyment of life, high standard of living and Northern Anhui parents not only stressful, life is quite simple because of the extensive. But on the other hand, accumulation of Zigui has formed the widespread poverty in rural areas and a large number of singles, the author surveys a natural village of less than 200 people, bachelors is as high as 22 people over the age of 30. Anhui village singles are generally less, parents pressure even married and in debt for her son, but offspring because married has the first bucket of gold, the hope and opportunity have upward social mobility.
Three
Yan Yunxiang made the brothers through marriage because competition between demanding high bride prices to achieve the early transfer of family property, separation is a form of last. But I've been puzzling is, why in my home even if a son is also asking for the high cost of advertising, this social face is just not enough to explain. Especially now to daughter dating a further request, his two sons were unwilling to give the chance to meet a blind date, bride price continued rising.
With free and open markets and farmers ' markets to participate in national labour markets and national marriage market develops, and national stratification has occurred. Facing competitive pressure stratification and social status and anxiety, for women, the changing nature of marriage, marriage by the objective to become now means, the means to achieve upward social mobility and class competition. So now even if it's only child, women still need to ask for buildings and high bride prices, is no longer competition between brothers and the family property, but should not be lost on the starting line. There is a person in a dowry of 200,000, will follow suit and follow up, because of the high bride prices does not give the woman's parents claimed, but rather belongs to the woman's family, the first bucket of gold you can put it in the Bank. Peers are so much, if you don't, you will fall behind in the competition game, step up, step by step, can't keep up. Dowry continues to follow up, at least to ensure that young people in the same starting line.
National formation and structural imbalances in the sex ratio in the marriage market, rural women resources flow out in the Midwest, would further drive up the cost of marriage. Marrying foreign wives are easy to run the marriage or divorce, marry a wife's costs are too high, his wife once ran, find son remarries, then the family is hard to turn, so he intensified the competition for local women in the marriage market, more and more women in the marriage market charged higher. Now after thousands of years of history in rural areas has never been rich, but at the same time also constitutes China's huge underclass in rural areas in the Midwest. In class differentiation and the increasingly competitive situation, rural farmers in the Midwest in terms of human capital, social capital and cultural capital triple under the constraints of limited farmers ' class division of the competition pressure on market participation, only through marriage to the hard to realize the transfer of stress within the family. High bride prices, change of family structure and family ethics, farmers market participation of the class differentiation and competitive anxiety of the unconscious adaptation, is the underlying social competition strategies. Farmers living in the village, no class consciousness in the mind, but do not know the concept of class, but they feel in the society face to face interaction is impressed by competitive pressures.
Village of liangzi and swallows are full brothers, Liang Zi's boss, family economic conditions are good, not only in bozhou city, bought a House, built buildings in 2015 and at home. And swallows work in Beijing, somewhat weaker domestic economic conditions, and has two sons, the family now only deposits of more than 300,000, and haven't been able to buy a house in the city. He didn't want to go home for the new year Festival this year, feel poorer, no ability to buy a house in the city, will be looked down upon. Her daughter-in-law repeated persuasion, home for the new year. Always cheerful humorous swallow, seen in previous years I have always "College" to "University student", seeing him again this year are always unhappy, hold a current of air. Between close brothers in a village, filled with heavy emotion and responsibility jointly and severally liable, but the market today is also involved in the growing stratification pressure pulled apart by the fierce competition. Just like the swallows didn't buy a house in the city like a brother, heavy makes his escape from the Spring Festival, as the Spring Festival is a rural society and a large gathering of family and friends, but also a variety of rituals of consumption and daily consumption of concentrated performance. People's life is getting better, but life has become increasingly difficult, especially in villages in the lower family stress is enormous, the heart is torn, social relationships are fragile and sensitive.
Four Zhang Taiyan s how fragmented the Qing restoration
Understand the present situation of China's social structure and we will not be able to stand on the moral high ground, one-to critique rural decline, or moral decay, filial piety declining and the morality of marriage and family crises. Under the trend of industrialization and urbanization, the hollowing out of the country and "decline" is inevitable, and we can't expect rural construction than the city or the United States, there is no necessary, farmers without consciously realizing relay cities. With thin capital, farmers have the advantage of land and labour. In the national after the formation of a free labour market, apart from a few farmers ' market in the Division of labour with special resources advantage, most of the differentiation of peasants ' income mainly relied on household labour force availability and effective configuration. Which is why now girl spouse's new direction was an only child and parents of young healthy sons married to form a new family of three generations, parents not only migrant money can also be earned at home with the kids. Through family depth within the Organization to mobilize to achieve the optimal allocation of labour, which has more than farm income and labor income of migrant workers, will be able to maximize family income, can be realized by simultaneously saving families maximize the accumulation, as parents say it's not about grandchildren.
In the village so you can clearly feel the pressure of competition to all of life, seems very bitter inside, parents are stupid, but you also feel the vitality of the community and the hope of social mobility, it is because there is hope of social mobility, parents yaomou foot strength, burn, light up the future generations. The world exists, China seems to be the only generation to raise, only child Chinese parents will help their children.
Through compared truth on will is obviously, we village of swallows family deposits has more than 300,000 has, put in Zigui of village was on can said is richest man has, but he think himself also buy not up town of House, and brother than himself is poor, even Festival are didn't want to back, you can feel to inside accumulated of huge energy, psychological energy on will in next of industrious housekeeping in the release. Zigui acquaintance there are strong in rural areas compared to differentiation, stratification of the market participation has not translated into social competition between the villagers, village community has maintained its traditional natural economic and social ecology. Parents didn't like me back home was worried about his son, married major is a son of his own, raising is the son of the Sun's, that is descendants reproduction only by descendants of the family itself.
Thus, and the formation of most rural areas of the country "based on the Division of intergenerational patterns of half working, half farming family" different, local is commonly formed with spouses half working, half farming based on the Division of the family model, wife at home farm, with children, husbands go out to work. Compared to the generational Division under the new three-generation family organization, the core family of Zigui organized society is a lack of competitiveness.
In national labour markets and national market after the formation of Zigui and belong to two modes of reproduction of the family in my hometown, Zigui County can claim to be an individual model, whether it is the conclusion of marriage or keep the marriage, relying on individuals ' own efforts. My hometown can be described as a model of the family, whether it is the conclusion of marriage or keep the marriage, relying on intergenerational co-operation to complete. Apparently new generation family of efficiency and social competitiveness of higher than the individual mode, passed down through generations resources to achieve. In traditional relative closed of place marriages circle, individual mode also can achieved family of reproduction, but national marriage market of formed and class differentiation competition of times, individual mode Xia of family reproduction competition but family mode, on faced with family reproduction of dilemma, highlight of performance is Zigui rural family incomplete who of high proportion, that marriage concluded difficult of singles number many, and knot has married Hou daughter-in-law divorce or run married of many.
Five
Contemporary rural society is going through thousands of years of change are not empty words, observation of changes not only in the countryside in the literati style of sad, more need to be rational and objective analysis, constructive comments are most deep love for 900 million farmers. At the bottom thin farmers in society because they have the capital, faced with surging consumption stratification, they are by changes in family structure and family ethics to adapt, lurking in the seemingly deteriorating rural community social mobility and vitality and hope. Meanwhile, who really feel very very tired, wealth increase faster and catch up with consumer promotion, "spend too much now" become psychological inhibitions. Orientation of national policies should no longer be stimulating consumption and stimulate domestic demand, but to guide farmers ' wealth of experience into a family of development capabilities, invest in education and human capital improvement, is fundamental to achieving social mobility in the era of new technology.
No comments:
Post a Comment