"Mother-giver" and "Wife-giver" : An Aspect of Affinal Relationship of Chinese in Taiwan

Abstract

Among various studies on the Chinese kinship system, not much has been written on affinal relationship. There are two reasons for that: Chinese society is organized on precise simple patrilineal discipline : and kinship studies have mainly been carried out in the southern part of mainland China, where patrilineality is especially prominent. For example, in a "lineage village" in the New Territories, Hong Kong, almost all social needs are satisfied within the "Imeage". In this situation, for the selfsufficient villagers, affines remain mere "wife-givers", necessary partners in order to conform to the rule of "surname exogamy". The relationship with one's affines is unfriendly and distant [WATSON 1985]. On the other hand, in Taiwanese society, where the lineage system is relatively undeveloped, affinal relationship is far more important and cannot be ignored. Several studies have been done on affinity in Taiwan. Based on his field research in a Fukien Chinese village in the central part of Taiwan, Gallin stressed the importance of affinal bonds for villagers in expanding their socioeconomic relationships beyond village boundaries [GALLIN 1960, etc.]. AHERN, from materials collected in a northern Fuhien village, argued the existence of a ritual superiority of "wife-giver" over "wife-taker"[AHERN 1974]. More recently UENo's study on a southern Fukien Village focused on the unity of brothers. Brothers act as guardians to their out-marrying sisters and help maintain their sisters' status after marriage. Because of this shared responsibility to their sisters, even after the partition of their households, strong ties are kept among brothers [UENO 1987].