Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China
Questions conventional assumptions about premodern conjugal relationships

Although commonly associated with patriarchal oppression, arranged marriages have adapted over the centuries to changing cultural norms and the lived experiences of men and women. In Arranged Companions, historian Weijing Lu chronicles how marital behaviors during the early and High Qing (mid-seventeenth through mid-nineteenth centuries) were informed by rich and complex traditions and mediated by the historical conditions of the period, during which marital affection was celebrated as a basic ingredient of an ideal marriage.

Lu finds public representation and private communication of marital affection in personal records, including poetry, biographies, letters, and memoirs. During this unique historical moment, ideals of marital companionship and love came to fruition while social changes also created new tensions for couples and extended families. Offering surprising revelations about conjugal relations during this time of change, Arranged Companions raises provocative questions about the cultural construction of intimacy and the meaning of a “happy marriage.”

1137898308
Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China
Questions conventional assumptions about premodern conjugal relationships

Although commonly associated with patriarchal oppression, arranged marriages have adapted over the centuries to changing cultural norms and the lived experiences of men and women. In Arranged Companions, historian Weijing Lu chronicles how marital behaviors during the early and High Qing (mid-seventeenth through mid-nineteenth centuries) were informed by rich and complex traditions and mediated by the historical conditions of the period, during which marital affection was celebrated as a basic ingredient of an ideal marriage.

Lu finds public representation and private communication of marital affection in personal records, including poetry, biographies, letters, and memoirs. During this unique historical moment, ideals of marital companionship and love came to fruition while social changes also created new tensions for couples and extended families. Offering surprising revelations about conjugal relations during this time of change, Arranged Companions raises provocative questions about the cultural construction of intimacy and the meaning of a “happy marriage.”

35.0 In Stock
Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China

Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China

by Weijing Lu
Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China

Arranged Companions: Marriage and Intimacy in Qing China

by Weijing Lu

Paperback

$35.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 6-10 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Questions conventional assumptions about premodern conjugal relationships

Although commonly associated with patriarchal oppression, arranged marriages have adapted over the centuries to changing cultural norms and the lived experiences of men and women. In Arranged Companions, historian Weijing Lu chronicles how marital behaviors during the early and High Qing (mid-seventeenth through mid-nineteenth centuries) were informed by rich and complex traditions and mediated by the historical conditions of the period, during which marital affection was celebrated as a basic ingredient of an ideal marriage.

Lu finds public representation and private communication of marital affection in personal records, including poetry, biographies, letters, and memoirs. During this unique historical moment, ideals of marital companionship and love came to fruition while social changes also created new tensions for couples and extended families. Offering surprising revelations about conjugal relations during this time of change, Arranged Companions raises provocative questions about the cultural construction of intimacy and the meaning of a “happy marriage.”


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780295749129
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication date: 07/22/2021
Pages: 264
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Weijing Lu is associate professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author of True to Her Word: The Faithful Maiden Cult in Late Imperial China.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 3

Chapter 1 Competing Meanings of Marriage 23

Chapter 2 Fashioning Companionate Love 48

Chapter 3 Building the Marital Bond 79

Chapter 4 Managing Familial and Marital Relationships 107

Chapter 5 Practicing Polygyny 133

Chapter 6 Growing Old Together 158

Conclusions 189

Chinese Character Glossary 193

Notes 199

Bibliography 227

Index 243

What People are Saying About This

Dorothy Ko

"The work of a talented historian, Arranged Companions is populated by real people with their foibles, anger, and tender love—and as such affords enormous reading pleasure and rare historical insights into the workings of the Chinese family."

Martin W. Huang

"Presenting a rich and nuanced picture, this is a pioneering study on a very important topic and should appeal to scholars of Chinese history, Chinese literature, women’s history, and gender studies."

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews