What Is the Importance of Family in Early Chinese Culture?

In traditional Chinese culture, family played an enormous role. The Chinese believed, as Confucius said, that family is key to a moral society. Wealthy Chinese lived in large family groups with up to 100 relatives, subject to the rule of the eldest male. The common people also lived in multi-generational households, with grandparents, parents and children under the same roof.

Lineage

• Descent was figured through male ancestors: father, grandfather and so on. When a woman married, she was taken out of her own line of descent and absorbed into her husband's. Ancestors were held in reverence. The production of male heirs was considered of paramount importance to please and pacify deceased ancestors.

Marriage

• In traditional Chinese culture, marriages were arranged by the parents of the bride and groom, with betrothals taking place as early as childhood. Sometimes, the couple didn't see each other until the day of their wedding. The wife would leave her home to live with the family of her husband. The purpose of marriage was to perpetuate the family lineage, which was held in highest esteem.

Children

• Since sons were the heirs who carried on the family name and lineage, they were more highly valued than daughters. Traditional Chinese families were hierarchical. Children were obligated to obey their parents without question, especially their father, who was head of the household and from whom the children otherwise kept a respectful distance.

Economics

• Family and wealth were inextricably linked. A distinctive feature of early Chinese families was that all relatives who lived in the same household shared a common budget. All resources, whether money or possessions, were pooled together, and decisions pertaining to those resources were made in accordance with the hierarchy of the family unit.