Which is why it's sad to see the new Chinese bougie class (my extended family included) copying the whole "father handing daughter to son-in-law" wedding ritual from the West.
Yeah it'd certainly be wrong to claim that the mere adoption of any ritual gesture would in itself "introduce patriarchy from the West." But I do find it reflective of the particular cultural ideology of the (mostly coastal) new Chinese upper middle class where women's role becomes much more defined by "family value" than under Mao AND Western cultural practices (until probably just a few years ago) are considered an emblem of progress/success/aspiration. Again, none of this was caused by the wedding practice, but the latter encapsulates this whole situation fairly well in my opinion.
Which is why it's sad to see the new Chinese bougie class (my extended family included) copying the whole "father handing daughter to son-in-law" wedding ritual from the West.
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Fair -- but I think it was less patriarchal in the 1950s-1980s compared to either before or after.
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Yeah it'd certainly be wrong to claim that the mere adoption of any ritual gesture would in itself "introduce patriarchy from the West." But I do find it reflective of the particular cultural ideology of the (mostly coastal) new Chinese upper middle class where women's role becomes much more defined by "family value" than under Mao AND Western cultural practices (until probably just a few years ago) are considered an emblem of progress/success/aspiration. Again, none of this was caused by the wedding practice, but the latter encapsulates this whole situation fairly well in my opinion.