Repository: ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title: Chinese Marriage Documents. 中國婚書
Collection Number: EAL.2015.01
Extent: 25 items
Date: 1909-1997
Abstract: This collection contains marriage documents from 1909 to 1997, including marriage certificates, wedding and engagement invitations, child bride agreements, uxorilocal marriage documents, remarriage agreements, divorce certificates and documents of marriage law. 本收藏中的婚姻文件包括1909至1997年之間的結婚證書, 婚禮請柬, 訂婚請柬, 童養媳協議, 招婿入贅文件，婦女再醮協議，離婚證書，以及婚姻法的相關文獻.
Language: The material in this collection is in Chinese (simplified and traditional).本收藏内容語種為中文。
Author: Rongqian Ma.
Publisher: ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Arrangement

The documents in this collection are arranged in chronological order. 本收藏中的婚書文件按照時間順序排列.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions. 無限制。

Acquisition Information

From Fujian, China in June 2011. 2011年6月購於中國福建.

History

In February 2011, East Asian Library purchased a collection of Chinese land records from a private collector in Fujian Province, China. Please check http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?type=simple;c=ascead;view=text;subview=outline;didno=US-PPiU-eal201101 But this collection includes a few of documents that fall out of the category of land records, which are marriage and divorce certificates of different historical periods of China. 2011年2月，東亞圖書館從中國福建省一位私人收藏家手中購買了一系列中國土地文書。詳情請參考http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?type=simple;c=ascead;view=text;subview=outline;didno=US-PPiU-eal201101 這些土地文書中有一部分是中國不同歷史時期的婚書.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of the collection are available online. 檢索指南包含了數字化副本.

Preferred Citation

Chinese Marriage Documents, 1909-1997, EAL.2015.01, ULS Area Studies, University of Pittsburgh. 中國婚書, 匹茲堡大學圖書館特藏部.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Rongqian Ma in November 2015. 本收藏由馬戎千於2015年11月處理.

Scope and Content Notes

This collection contains marriage documents from 1909 to 1997, including marriage certificates, wedding and engagement invitations, child bride agreements, uxorilocal marriage documents, remarriage agreements, divorce certificates and documents of marriage law. These marriage documents reflect the situations and transitions of marriage from the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) to Republican China (1911-1949), and to the PRC period. They are precious and important primary sources to study the history of marriage in China and its relationship with Chinese economic and political evolution. Some documents possess interesting historical contents, which have been translated into English and attached to each entry. 本收藏中的婚姻文件包括1909至1997年之間的結婚證書, 婚禮和訂婚請柬, 童養媳協議, 招婿入贅文件, 婦女再醮協議, 離婚證書, 以及婚姻法的相關文獻. 這些婚書展示了自清代至民囯以至於中華人民共和國時期中國的婚姻狀況以及變化. 它們是研究中國婚姻史及其與經濟政治发展之關係的珍貴而重要的一手文獻. 文獻中具有歷史價值的內容已被譯為英文附在每份文件之後.

Subjects

Genres

Marriage records

Other Subjects

China -– Social life and customs
Marriage customs and rites
Marriage customs and rites –- China -– History
Marriage records -– China -– History

Container List

Child Bride Agreement, 宣統元年 [1909]

Containers: box 1, folder 1

Child Bride Agreement: 宣統元年 [1909]

Wedding Invitation, 洪憲元年 [1916]

Containers: box 1, folder 2

Wedding Invitation: 洪憲元年 [1916]

Wedding Invitation, 民國戊午 [1918]

Containers: box 1, folder 3

Wedding Invitation: 民國戊午 [1918]

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 山西 [Shanxi], 民國十二年 [1923]

Containers: box 1, folder 4

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 山西 [Shanxi]: 民國十二年 [1923]

Scope and Content Notes

（選段）禁止纏足婦女纏足, 為害甚大, 不獨有礙行動, 且損壞其肢體; 不但世界萬國無此惡習, 即前清旗人皇室亦皆天足. 且漢人纏足之風, 莫甚於山西, 是以山西人口愈少, 人體愈弱, 人民愈窮. 其毒與鴉片相等. 若不嚴禁, 害無底止. 特定數條諭爾等人民知之.

(Selected paragraph) Forbid Footbinding Footbinding is very harmful. Not only does it hinder action, but it also harms the body. Not only do ten thousands of countries in the world not have such a bad custom, but also the imperial family of the Qing court had natural feet. Besides, the custom of footbinding among the Han people is no more popular than that in Shanxi; as a result, the population of Shanxi has gradually decreased, people's health declining, and they becoming more impoverished. The poison of footbinding equals that of the opium. If not to forbid it in a strict manner, its harm would be endless. According to this situation, we have made several entries of command to let all you fellow people know about it.

Adoption Agreement, 民國十八年 [1929]

Containers: box 1, folder 5

Adoption Agreement: 民國十八年 [1929]

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 察哈爾 [Chahaer], 民國十九年 [1930]

Containers: box 1, folder 6

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 察哈爾 [Chahaer]: 民國十九年 [1930]

Wedding Invitation, 民國二十二年 [1933]

Containers: box 1, folder 7

Wedding Invitation: 民國二十二年 [1933]

Wedding Invitation, 民國乙亥 [1935]

Containers: box 1, folder 8

Wedding Invitation: 民國乙亥 [1935]

Uxorilocal Marriage Document, 1936

Containers: box 1, folder 9

Uxorilocal Marriage Document: 1936

Scope and Content Notes

立招壻入贅: 岳父范 [][], 髮配何氏, 二人年紀雖在不惑, 奈膝下無男子, 僅生一女, 命名彩蘭, 幸得蒙天眷佑, 撫褓長大. 禮云: 男大當婚, 女長當嫁. 玆因無男靠女. 昔聖云: 無後為大. 一不孝也. 爰請親族斟酌, 任從吾女招壻入贅, 日後生外孫以承外祖宗支. 豈不美哉? 曲從媒議, 僅招陳府 [][] 入贅. 以夢占吉, 才貌相生, 招與入贅. 喜得聘金大洋壹佰圓正. 日後育子生孫,一育得男以承范姓宗支, 再生一男以續陳姓宗祀, 即為震為坎. 倘或只生一男, 則兩姓兼祧. 當日議明陳 [][] 要膳養余二人過老, 耳提靣命, 見志必從, 不敢復生異心. 日後如有異心, 再補養費大洋壹佰圓正. 所生一男, 均在两姓宗支; 生次子陳姓宗支, 两姓兒孫. 此係敦請親族月老言定, 恐口無憑, 今立一式招壻書為㨿. (峕在中華民國二十五年十一月中澣）

With this certificate [we] call in a son-in-law: the father-in-law FAN [name omitted] and his first wife Ms. HE, although in their forties, have no sons but only one daughter named Cailan, luckily brought up under the care and protection from Heaven. The Book of Rites says: any man and woman who are grown up enough should marry. In this case, we rely on our daughter since [we] have no sons. Sages of the past said: there was nothing more unfilial than having no offspring. Thereupon I ask for members of our clan to consider allowing my daughter to call in an uxorilocal son-in-law, so as to produce heirs for our lineage. Isn't this great? According to the matchmaker's suggestion, we sincerely call in [name omitted] of the CHEN family to marry uxorilocally into our family. Dream prophecy reveals this marriage as auspicious, and the couple match each other in their talent and appearance. I am happy to receive the betrothal gift of silver of one hundred yuan. In the future, if [the couple] produced offspring, the first son would inherit the lineage of FAN and the second CHEN. If [the couple] has only one son, he then inherits both. Today we make it clear that CHEN [name omitted] has to take care of us when we are old, listen to our exhortations, always follow our wills, and never dare to have a different ambition. If having a different ambition in the future, he would need to pay another one hundred yuan of silver. The only son belongs to lineages of both families; while the second son is under the lineage of CHEN but is the child of both families. With this certificate I sincerely petition members of our clan and the matchmaker to approve my request. I am afraid of saying without evidence, thus to issue an uxorilocal marriage certificate as evidence. (Date: Mid-November in the 25th year of Republican China, 1936)

Engagement Invitation -- Place: 山西省崞縣 [Shanxi Sheng Guo Xian], 民國三十年 [1941]

Containers: box 1, folder 10

Engagement Invitation -- Place: 山西省崞縣 [Shanxi Sheng Guo Xian]: 民國三十年 [1941]

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 福建省建陽縣 [Fujian Sheng Jianyang Xian], 民國三十八年 [1949]

Containers: box 1, folder 11

Wedding Invitation -- Place: 福建省建陽縣 [Fujian Sheng Jianyang Xian]: 民國三十八年 [1949]

Pawning Wife Document, 1950

Containers: box 1, folder 12

Pawning Wife Document: 1950

Scope and Content Notes

立具收米字人王[][], 今有媳婦戴氏年方十八歲, 情因與子 [][] 夫妻不和, 情愿出嫁, 今來憑媒介紹再醮淑雅村孔[] []為媳. 當日憑嫁, 三靣議定: 戴氏身價聘金米柒石壹斗正. 其米即日親收足訖. 媳婦戴氏自 [的] 筆出嫁之日任憑孔[][]帶回孔家擇配. 此係憑媒正式嫁娶, 並無拐騙等. 恐口無憑, 立具收米字壹紙, 付與孔 [][] 收执為据. 說合媒人戴 [][], 公元壹玖五0年古曆十一月廿八日, 立具收米, 字人王 [][].

Receipt of rice: WANG [name omitted], who drafted and signed this receipt of rice, has a daughter-in-law just 18 years old who is willing to remarry because of the inharmonious relationship with her husband [name omitted]. Through connections of the matchmaker, [DAI] is now re-marrying into the Shuya Village as KONG [name omitted]'s daughter-in-law. With this receipt [DAI] marries, and the three sides have decided: the betrothal gift for DAI is rice of seven shi and one dou. The exact amount of rice has been received. From the day of marriage, the daughter-in-law Ms. DAI can be brought back to the KONG family for her match. This is a formal marriage facilitated by the matchmaker, which does not include any forms of abduction. I am afraid of making promise without solid evidence, therefore to issue this piece of paper to acknowledge my receipt of rice, so as to leave it to KONG [name omitted] as an evidence. The matchmaker DAI [name omitted], Lunar Calendar November 28th in the Western Calendar 1950, Receipt of Rice, drafted and signed by WANG [name omitted].

Marriage Law -- Place: 上海 [Shanghai], 1950