In 1841, Zeng Guofan, 30 years old, wrote several letters to his grandfather in his residence in Beijing. The date of the letters was the 21st year of Daoguang reign.
Zeng Guofan (1811∽1872)
Zeng Guofan was deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese thought of male superiority and female inferiority. What he said in the letter was shocking. For example, Zeng Guofan dismissed the maids, did not hire a midwife, and let his wife handle the birth herself and cut the umbilical cord.
1. To your wife
To your wife, you are sometimes called a tomb woman. Although "Tomb Woman" is a title for the eldest son's wife, it is like "Zhu Jing", "Zhu Broom", "Bitch Wife", etc., which not only sounds extremely indecent, but also reflects the humble status of women in ancient times. You can roughly understand the superficial meaning of these titles without looking up the allusions, such as Zhuojing: the clumsy woman holding wattle sticks in the house; Zhizhu: the woman holding the broom in the house; Ji Nei: the lowly woman in the house; Tomb Woman: beside the tomb woman.
30-year-old Zeng Guofan wrote to his grandparents: On the 15th, at 15:00, my grandson’s wife gave birth to a daughter. On that day, my grandson's wife's diet and daily life were as before, and she changed her posture. She was born as soon as she woke up, which was extremely peaceful. The servant girl employed in the apartment was sent away two days ago because of her toughness. Grandma Wen was also not invited. Grandma personally handled all the matters such as cutting off the navel and washing three .
Zeng Guofan's handwriting
2. To his daughters and sisters
Zeng Guofan required women to abide by the Three Cardinal Guidelines of Women's Virtues. In the second year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan wrote several requirements in his letter to his sonZeng Jize:
1. All the daughters of the Yu family should be taught to be filial to their aunts. , respect your husband, be careful not to value your mother's family more than your husband's family, which is the bad habit of a small family.
2. Luo’s son-in-law’s temperament may be of concern, but there is nothing that can be done about it. I urge my third sister to be gentle and respectful, and not to say anything against her.
3. In the three cardinal principles, the king guides the ministers, the father guides the sons, and the husband guides the wife. Even if the husband is unvirtuous, the wife cannot be disobedient.
4. My family is educated and serves as an official, and abides by etiquette and righteousness. You should command your eldest sister and your third sister to be patient and obedient.
5. I sincerely advise you, sisters, to be able to work hard and endure your anger. I have served as an official for many years, and I often work hard on the four characters of "hard work and endurance".
6. I give very little dowry to all the girls. However, if the girls become poor, I will also help them and educate them. At present, the Chen family is slightly embarrassed, but the Yuan family and the Luo family are not worried about poverty.
Zeng Guofan's daughter Zeng Jifen (1852~1942)
3. To the elder women
Zeng Guofan had great respect for the elder women, and attributed his achievements to the blessings of his ancestors, and sent money, ginseng, and deer glue home. He often addressed his grandmother at the beginning of his letters: Sun Guofan kneels down to express his blessings to his grandparents. When addressing mother, one would often write: Male Guofan kneels down to express my wish to my parents, Wan Fu and Jin An. At the end of the letter, it is often written that the sun kneels down and the man kneels down. The letter expresses filial piety and gratitude. After my grandmother passed away, I wrote a letter: My grandmother’s tomb must be grand and spacious, and the place for worshiping under the tomb must be wide. We are not seeking wealth and good luck, but there is no danger, it is just a big and open place.
4. Regarding the women in the family
Zeng Guofan had strict requirements on the women in the family. On May 24, the seventh year of Tongzhi, he wrote a special "Instruction to the Women in the Family" in the Jinling Office:
The women in my family should be in "clothing", "food", " The four words "thick" and "fine" are indispensable. I've been teaching this for several years, but I still haven't made any specific rules. From then on, I set my homework every day, and I personally verified the results.
The specific inspection methods are: food items are inspected once a day; clothing items are inspected once every three days; spinners are inspected for thread, and performers are inspected for goose eggs; fine workmanship is inspected once every five days; rough workmanship is inspected once a month, and must be done every month One pair of men's shoes, but no women's shoes. The homework should be given to the sons-in-law, nieces, daughters-in-law, and nephews-in-law.
With the development and progress of the times, the status of women has undergone earth-shaking changes. Women hold up half the sky. The concept of equality between men and women has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The family status of modern women is getting higher and higher, and it is no longer the same.
