Description
Chinese Marriage and Social Change, 1st ed. 2020
The Legal Abolition of Concubinage in Hong Kong
Author: WL Wong Max
Language: EnglishSubjects for Chinese Marriage and Social Change:
Keywords
Chinese Marriage and Social Change; The Legal Abolition of Concubinage in Hong Kong in 1971; Abolition of Concubinage; Concubine in China and Hong Kong; Marriage Reform Ordinance 1971; Polygamy in China and Hong Kong; Marriage in Da Qing Lü Li; Concubine in Singapore and Malaya; Concubine in Taiwan; Modern Marriage in Hong Kong; Marriage Law Reform in China; Chinese customary law in East Asia; Marriage Law Reform in Hong Kong; Concubinage in Chinese law and society; Concubines and Colonialism
Approximative price 105.49 €
In Print (Delivery period: 15 days).
Add to cart the print on demand of WL Wong MaxPublication date: 02-2020
Support: Print on demand
Approximative price 105.49 €
In Print (Delivery period: 15 days).
Add to cart the book of WL Wong MaxPublication date: 02-2021
225 p. · 15.5x23.5 cm · Paperback
Description
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Chapter 1 introduces and explores academic discourse about marriage law reform in Hong Kong with particular reference to the abolition of concubinage. The discussion places the Hong Kong case within comparative law discourse surrounding family law reforms in colonial contexts, for example, Singapore. It also focuses on the determining factors which contributed to the end of the recognition of concubinage in law: the pressure of the UK government, several reports on marriage reforms proposed by the Hong Kong government, judicial interpretation of concubinage, and pressure from local social groups.
Chapter 2 discusses the legal provisions relating to the concubine as specified in Da Qing Lü Li, or the Great Qing Code – the legal code governed Qing imperial society and a source of law on concubinage in Hong Kong. Apart from the analysis of the written laws, this chapter also investigates the application of the relevant laws at all levels, such as the cases reported in Xinan Huilan, Boan Huibian and in memoirs written by retired local magistrates in Qing authorities.
Chapter 3 discusses the application of Da Qing Lü Li in the East Asian jurisdictions, and how judges helped to construct legal status for the concubine in the context of such laws from Mainland China. The focus is on the judicial response to the legal code and on the impact of the introduction of the modern marriage system in China and thelegal abolition of concubinage in the Civil Code of Republic of China in 1931.
Chapter 4 discusses the pressure from the UK government exerted on the Hong Kong government for the abolition of concubinage in the territory. Based on the available archives from the UK and Hong Kong, pressure from the UK government played a significant role in eradicating this customary practice based on non-discrimination between men and women.
Chapter 5 discusses the judicial response to the change in laws and customary practices of concubinage in Hong Kong and China. The biggest challenge was that the marriage reforms in China had brought about change to the marriage customs in the whole country. It also examines the social groups that called for marriage reform in Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. The ongoing petitions from the social groups addressed to the British and Hong Kong governments had generated strong social pressure for the abolition of concubinage. How the judiciary in Hong Kong reacted to such changes, and at the same time, applied the customs in Da Qing Lü Li, remained a monumental challenge. How did Western-trained judges in Hong Kong courts apply appropriate Chinese marriage customs in various courts? Did they invent or re-create the Chinese customs to preserve a system of concubinage in Hong Kong? This chapteer addresses these questions.
Chapter 6 discusses the aftermath of the marriage reform in Hong Kong in two key areas. First, the judicial responses to the legal changes are thoroughly investigated, in particular cases such as Leung Sai Lun and Others v Leung May Ling (1999) and Chan Chiu La and others v Yau Yee Ping (2000), which were decided by the Court of Final Appeal. In addition, this chapter examines the administrative responses to the new law after 1971, and the subsequent amendments to the marriage laws to paved the way for a monogamous and registered marriage system in Hong Kong.
Chapter 7 concludes the book by examining the historical and social development which led to the abolition of concubinage in 1971, even though concubinage had become illegal in the Republic of China in 1931 and People’s Republic of China in 1950. The existence of this Chinese custom had been regarded as an obstacle to modernity, so the final eradication was unavoidable.
First book to discuss the legal development and social changes leading to the abolition of concubinage in Hong Kong
Contributes to a crucial discussion on gender equality in Hong Kong vis-a-vis marriage reform
Compares judicial interpretations of the status of the Chinese “concubine” in Republican China, Hong Kong and other East Asian jurisdictions