EXCERPTS FROM THE FUZHOU PREFECTURAL GAZETTEER

Primary Source Documentwith Questions (DBQs)E X C E R P T S F R O M T H E F U Z H O U P R E F E C T U R A L G A Z E T T E E R( F U Z H O U F U Z H I ) , 1 7 5 4 : " W I D O W S L O Y A L U N T O D E A T H "IntroductionThe document below contains accounts of the exemplary behavior of widows in Fuzhou prefecture in Fujianprovince, as recorded in the Fuzhou prefectural gazetteer (Fuzhou fuzhi), 1754 edition. These stories are recorded incelebration of the positive virtues displayed by these widows.Document Exce rpts with Que stions (Longer selection follows this section)From Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, 2nd ed. (New York: The Free Press, 1993), 253-255.© 1993 The Free Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.ExcerptsfromTheFuzhouPrefecturalGazetteer(FuzhouFuzhi),1754:ʺWidowsLoyalUntoDeathʺ Xu Songjie, daughter of Xu Yuanyan, married Chen Boshan at the age of seventeen.Whenherhusbandwasgravelyill,hetoldhertoremarrybecauseshehadnoson.Athisdeath,sheembracedhimandcriedbitterly.Afterthecoffinwasclosed,shehangedherselftodiewithherhusband.TheofficialBaiBiwasimpressedwithyherfidelityandsoarrangedforherburialandhadabannerwiththeinscriptionʺfilialpietyandproprietyʺdisplayedatherdoor.Liun Shunde, the daughter of the prefect Lin Jin, was engaged to Sun Mengbi. WhenMengbidied,shewaswithherfatherathispost.Oncetheannouncementofherfiancéʹsdeathreachedher,sheputonmourningdressandwepttotellherparentsthatshewishedtogottohishome.Herparentspackedforherandtoldhertobehaveproperly.Onarrivingthere,sheperformedtheritualsforherfirstmeetingwithherparents‐in‐law,thenshemadeanofferingatherfiancéʹscoffin.Afterhewasburied,sheservedhermother‐in‐lawfortherestofherlife.Thelocalofficialinscribedaplacardwith,ʺShehurriedtothefuneralofahusbandshehadneverseen.Sufferingcoldandfrost,shesworenottoremarry.ʺQuestions:1. The women in these stories are honored after their deaths. Why were suchhonors bestowed and in so public a fashion as inscriptions and placardsplaced for all to see?2. What message do these stories convey to young women?3. What other options remained open to these young women had they notchosen death and service to a mother-in-law, respectively?

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onEXC ERPTS FRO M THE FUZHOU PREFECTURAL GA ZETTEER (FUZHOU FUZHI), 1754:" WIDOWS LOYA L UNTO DEA TH"LongerSelectionFrom Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, 2nd ed. (New York: The Free Press, 1993), 253-255.© 1993 The Free Press. Reproduced with the permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.ExcerptsfromTheFuzhouPrefecturalGazetteer(FuzhouFuzhi),1754:ʺWidowsLoyalUntoDeathʺ Xu Sungjie, daughter of Xu Yuanyan, married Chen Boshan at the age of seventeen.Whenherhusbandwasgravelyill,hetoldhertoremarrybecauseshehadnoson.Athisdeath,sheembracedhimandcriedbitterly.Afterthecoffinwasclosed,shehangedherselftodiewithherhusband.TheofficialBaiBiwasimpressedwithherfidelityandsoarrangedforherburialandhadabannerwiththeinscriptionʺfilialpietyandproprietyʺdisplayedatherdoor.Lin Shunde, the daughter of the prefect Lin Jin, was engaged to Sun Mengbi. WhenMengbidied,shewaswithherfatherathispost.Oncetheannouncementofherfiancéʹsdeathreachedher,sheputonmourningdressandwepttotellherparentsthatshewishedtogotohishome.Onarrivingthere,sheperformedtheritualsforherfirstmeetingwithherparents‐in‐law,thenshemadeanofferingatherfiancéʹscoffin.Afterhewasburied,sheservedhermother‐inlawfortherestofherlife.Thelocalofficialinscribedaplacardwith,ʺShehurriedtothefuneralofahusbandshehadneverseen.Sufferingcoldandfrost,shesworenottoremarry.ʺ…Fu Xiajie was the wife of Chen Banghuai. Her husband was taken hostage by somebandits.Shesupportedherselfbymakinghempcloth.Afteralongtimesomeonetoldherthather husband had died. She was spinning at the time. She then immediately entered herbedroomandhangedherself.WuJihnshunwasthewifeofSunZhen.Onthefirstanniversaryofherhusbandʹsdeath,shewassoforlornthatshediedofgrief.ZhangZhongyuwasengagedtoChenShunwei,whodiedprematurelywhenZhongyuwas eighteen. When she learned of his death, she decided to hurry to the Chen family. Herparentstriedtostopher,butshecriedandsaid,ʺOnceyoubetrothedmetotheChenfamily,Ibecameadaughter‐in‐lawoftheChenfamily.ʺSo,shehurriedtoattendherfiancéʹsfuneralandbow to her mother‐in‐law. Then, she cut her hair and removed her ornaments. She lived asecludedlife.Inthefirstmonthofthexinsiyear[1461],therewasafireinherneighborhood.She leaned herself against her husbandʹs coffin, wanting to be burned up with her husband.Suddenlyawindcameandextinguishedthefire.Onlyherhousesurvived.Onthesixthdayofthe sixth month of the wuzi year [1468], a large army approached. People in the county fledhelter‐skelter.Zhongyuremainedtoguardthecoffin,keepingaknifewithher.Whenthearmyarrived the next day, she showed the banner and the tablet from the previous official. Thesoldiersrecognizedherrighteousness,andgeneralBaiattachedhisorderonthedoorsothatnoAsia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 2 of 4

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onEXC ERPTS FRO M THE FUZHOU PREFECTURAL GA ZETTEER (FUZHOU FUZHI), 1754:" WIDOWS LOYA L UNTO DEA TH"othersoldierswouldenterherhouse.Onedayshebecameseverelyillandtoldhermother‐inlaw,ʺDon’tletanymenputtheirhandsonmewhenIamshroudedafterIdie.UsethemoneyinthesmallboxthatIearnedbysplicingandspinningtoburymewithmyhusband.ʺThenshedied.Sun Yinxiao was the daughter of Sun Keren and married Lin Zengqing at the age ofseventeen.Lin,whomadehislivingfishing,drownedaftertheyhadbeenmarriedforonlytwomonths.Sunwasdeterminedtokillherself.Afterthemourningperiodwasover,shemadeasacrificewithutmostgrief.Thatnight,shedressedcarefullyandboundawidegirdleroundthebeam to hang herself. When the magistrate Xu Jiadi heard of this, he paid a visit to offer asacrificetohersoul.WangYingjiewasthewifeofQiuBianyu.Shewaswidowedatnineteenbeforebearingany children. As a consequence she decided to die. Her family had long been rich and herdowrywasparticularlyample.Shegaveitalltoherhusbandʹsyoungerbrothersothatinthefuture he could arrange for an heir to succeed to her husband. Then she ceased eating. Hermotherforcedhertostop,soshehadnoalternativebuttopretendtoeatanddrinkasusual.Whenhermotherrelaxedhervigilance,shehangedherself.WangJingjie,whosefamilyhadmovedtoNantai,marriedFuYan,acandidatefortheexaminations. Yan studied so hard that he got ill and died. When Wang learned of this, sheemptied out her savings and gave it to her father‐in‐law to pay for her husbandʹs funeral,askinghimtodoitproperly.Theeveningafterhewasburied,hebrothercametoconsoleherandsheaskedhowherparentsweredoing.Herbrothersleptinanotherroom.Atdawn,whenthemembersofthefamilygotup,theykeptshoutingtoher,butshedidnotanswer.Whentheypriedopenherdoor,shewasalreadydead,havinghangedherself.Shewassolemnlyfacingtheinside,standingupstraight.Shewastwenty‐one.ZhangXiujiemarriedHeLiangpengwhenshewaseighteen.Beforeayearhadpassed,hebecamecriticallyill.Heaskedherwhatshewoulddo,andshepointedtoHeavenandsworetofollowherhusbandindeath.Sinceshewishedtocommitsuicide,theotherfamilymembershadtopreventher.Afterseveralmonths,theironlysondiedofmeasles.Zhangweptandsaid,ʺItismyfate.Ihadbeenlivingforhim.ʺThatnightshehangedherself.HuangYijiewasengagedtoChenRujingfromChanglewholivedinLianjiang.Beforetheyweremarried,hedied.Whenshewasfifteen,sheheardofitandwassaddenedbyit.Asshe slowly understood what it meant, streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. Without herknowledgeamatchmakerarrangedanewengagement.Inthefifthmonthofthebingyinyear[1506], her first fiancéʹs mother came to call. Huang followed the courtesies appropriate to adaughter‐in‐law when she went out to meet her, and they both expressed their grief, notholdingback.Afterawhilesheaskedhermother‐in‐lawwhyshehadcome,andshetoldherAsia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 3 of 4

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) onEXC ERPTS FRO M THE FUZHOU PREFECTURAL GA ZETTEER (FUZHOU FUZHI), 1754:" WIDOWS LOYA L UNTO DEA TH"thatshehadheardofthenewengagementandsohadcometogetthebridepriceback.Thegirlwasstartledandthought,ʺCouldthisbetrue?Onlyinextremeunfortunatecircumstancesisadeadmanʹswifesold.ʺShetoldhermother‐in‐law,ʺFortunatelynotmuchhasbeendonewithit.Letmemakeaplan.ʺDisoriented,foralongtimeshesat,notsayingaword.Thensheaskedhermother‐in‐lawtostayforthenightandtoldhereverythingshewantedtosay.Shegaveherthehairpinsandearringsshehadreceivedasbetrothalgifts,saying,ʺKeepthesetorememberyoursonby.ʺAtdusk,hermother‐in‐lawtookherleave,andthegirl,weeping,sawhertothegate.Shethentookabath,combedherhair,andchangedintonewclothes.Thosethingsdone,shetookaknifeandcutherthroat.Thefirstcutdidnotseverit,soshehadtocutitagainbeforeshedied.Inthemorningwhenherfamilyfoundherbody,thereweretracesofthreecuts.Asia for E duca tors l Columbia University l http ://afe.easia.columbia.edu Page 4 of 4