Are ghost marriages fueling the demand for female corpses in rural China?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the cultural practice of "ghost marriages" in rural China, which has led to an increased demand for female corpses. Participants explore the implications of this tradition, its historical context, and related customs surrounding death and marriage.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe "ghost marriages" as a tradition where deceased unmarried men are paired with female corpses to ensure they are buried with a spouse.
  • One participant expresses difficulty in understanding the persistence of such customs in the face of modernity, noting the isolation of certain cultures in China.
  • Another participant references historical practices of post-mortem photography, suggesting a cultural continuity in how societies remember the dead.
  • Several comments introduce humor and sarcasm regarding the topic, including suggestions about donating corpses for humorous purposes.
  • There are mentions of personal anecdotes related to deceased family members and their photographs, indicating a broader interest in how different cultures handle death.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the cultural significance or appropriateness of ghost marriages, with some expressing fascination and others skepticism or humor. Multiple competing views remain regarding the interpretation of these customs.

Contextual Notes

Some statements reflect personal opinions and cultural observations, which may not encompass the full complexity of the practices discussed. The conversation includes humor that may obscure serious cultural critiques.

Math Is Hard
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Aether posted this link in another thread. A grisly, but very interesting story:

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9558423

Parts of rural China are seeing a burgeoning market for female corpses, the result of the reappearance of a strange custom called “ghost marriages”. Chinese tradition demands that husbands and wives always share a grave. Sometimes, when a man died unmarried, his parents would procure the body of a woman, hold a “wedding” and bury the couple together.
 
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Awesome. I want a pet dog and cat, and maybe some orphan kids too.

On second thought, better throw in some mistresses as well.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Awesome. I want a pet dog and cat, and maybe some orphan kids too.

On second thought, better throw in some mistresses as well.

:smile:
You forgot the servants, King Tut!
 
At least they have a lot in common and probably have few bad habits. I imagine they have a very low divorce rate.
 
Way to find that positive angle, Bob! :biggrin:
 
Oh, ghost, not goat!
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh, ghost, not goat!
:smile: :smile:
 
Ivan Seeking said:
Oh, ghost, not goat!

This ant afganistan!
 
Being a westerner that embraces change and new ideas, it's hard to understand how some cultures can have such unchangeable beliefs. The culture in various parts of China are very old and very isolated, and change is something that wasn't promoted.

I love the study of other cultures. But traditions like this are a bit bizarre now, but not uncommon a few thousand years ago.
 
  • #10
In the late 1800's people used to take photos of their dead loved ones at the funeral and hang it on their wall.

Your baby brother and sister are dead honey, now smile for the nice man.

http://www.deathonline.net/images/remembering/pm12.jpg
 
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  • #11
Remember that movie The Others with the photo album of the pics of dead people propped up and posed? My mom said she had actually seen photo albums like that when she was a little girl. I thought it was something they had just made up for the movie.
 
  • #12
I remember going through the things of my dad's mother and there were tons of photos of dead people.
 
  • #13
Marriage and burial customs aren't scientific at all. Just say, no.
 
  • #14
Evo said:
Being a westerner that embraces change and new ideas, it's hard to understand how some cultures can have such unchangeable beliefs. The culture in various parts of China are very old and very isolated, and change is something that wasn't promoted.

I love the study of other cultures. But traditions like this are a bit bizarre now, but not uncommon a few thousand years ago.

I think loyal female PF members should donate their corpses to be sold in China after they croak for a general pizza fund.
 
  • #15
zoobyshoe said:
I think loyal female PF members should donate their corpses to be sold in China after they croak for a general pizza fund.
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.
 
  • #16
Evo said:
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.

Tibetan Vultures, isn't that a soccer team??:biggrin:
 
  • #17
edward said:
Tibetan Vultures, isn't that a soccer team??:biggrin:
Oh dear, that would make things much more complicated. :bugeye:
 
  • #18
Evo said:
Oh dear, that would make things much more complicated. :bugeye:

Not really. The only difference is that they would use utensils.
 
  • #19
Evo said:
And who would be the benificiary of said pizza fund?
Surviving male PF members.

I still want to be eaten by Tibetan vultures.
You're so selfish! We want pizza!
 
  • #20
Ivan Seeking said:
Not really. The only difference is that they would use utensils.

Or their tongues.
 
  • #21
Evo said:
I remember going through the things of my dad's mother and there were tons of photos of dead people.

Truly neat. :-p