Saying ‘I do’ down through the years
Print Edition
THE Minhang District Archives recently made public old marriage certificates dating from early last century to the 1960s. The certificates reveal how the social custom of marriage changed in Shanghai over time.
One certificate is for a couple who married on October 5 of the lunar calendar. The groom Yang Peitian and his bride surnamed Xiang took their vows in a school. The wedding was witnessed by a man named Cai Jiren.
The certificate also listed the names of the matchmaker, the person who organized the marriage and the official who presided over the nuptials. It is likely that the couple, brought together by a matchmaker, hardly knew one another before they were wed.
On a certificate from this year, the bride’s full name appears. That was a change from the old custom of just listing the bride’s surname. In ancient China, women had nicknames instead of formal names, and on family trees, only their surnames were written.
The certificate showed that the couple was from Shanghai County in Jiangsu Province, long before the area came under municipal jurisdiction.
Apart from the names of the couple, the names of a witness and marriage officiator appeared, along with the address where the ceremony was held. It is believed that such certificates were used as invitation for guests.
A certificate from the war era recorded the marriage of Gu Zengfu, a revolutionary who later died in the fight against Japanese occupation, and a woman named Qin Zhipei.
This certificate also had an attachment, listing the whole process of the wedding ceremony, including where guests were seated.
A certificate of a mass wedding was recorded this year. It reads: “on November 25, 1950, Zhang Yaozong, 24, and Zhou Huifang, 22, participated in a mass wedding of the Dashanghai No. 1 Group” — a possible reference to a factory commune
The design of the certificate was quite simple, and instead of the title “Wedding Certificate,” it was called the “Dragon and Phoenix Certificate.” In traditional Chinese symbolism, the dragon and phoenix represented a happy couple.
A certificate filed this year featured a bright red star in the middle, surrounded by wheat stalks and red flowers. It was a tribute to the 1949 founding of the People’s Republic of China, called by some “Red China.”
The names and ages of the couple were the only pieces of personal information on the certificate. In an odd break from custom, the groom was 19 years old and the bride was 30.
It’s a pretty safe assumption that the couple married for love, probably against their parents’ wishes.
This was also the first time that a wedding certificate was issued by the government.
During the cultural revolution (1966-76), a quote of then Chairman Mao Zedong was printed on marriage certificates. After his death, the quote was replaced by the slogan “family planning is a basic state policy.”
Marriage certificates were further simplified, carrying only basic information of the couple and a mugshot of each.
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