Merchants' Daughters: Women, Commerce, and Regional Culture in South China

1 - Women’s Images Reconstructed: The Sisters-in-Law Tomb and Its Legend

25 Women’s Images Reconstructed Women’s Images Reconstructed: The Sisters-in-Law Tomb and Its Legend* Liu Zhiwei 1 Women in Ming-Qing literature were portrayed in extremes. Most were, if not virtuous virgins or chaste widows, then dissolute women or lascivious girls. These images of women were literati constructions based on the morality of Neo-Confucian thought in the Song-Ming periods.1 Reinforcing notions of male superiority, the images were prevalent in the central plain (zhongyuan) region but were more nuanced in the Lingnan region.2 When Lingnan gradually became part of the imperial order in political and cultural terms, the reconstitution of women’s images was an important means adopted by the literati to spread “civilization” to their own localities. Layers of meaning were embedded into such reconstitution. I would like to use the “Sisters-in-Law Tomb” near Guangzhou and the evolution of its legend to illuminate such historical processes. * This historical survey is part of a research project about the society and culture of the Pearl River Delta, guided by David Faure, Helen F . Siu, and Ye Xian’en, and funded by the Institute of Chinese Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. Fieldwork was conducted by Helen F . Siu, Dai He, Chen Chunsheng, and me. I would like to thank them for their valuable input and permission to use their materials. Liu Zhiwei 26 The “Sisters-in-Law Tomb” and the Early History of the He Lineage in Shawan Today, the “Sisters-in-Law Tomb” is situated at the foot of the Baiyun Mountain north of Guangzhou. Old residents of the city are well aware that this is an ancestral tomb under the He lineage, a renowned lineage in the town of Shawan, at the heart of the Pearl River Delta. Those buried in the tomb were the wife and sister of He Renjian, a fourth-generation ancestor who first settled in Shawan. Legends about the Sisters-in-Law Tomb circulated around Guangzhou, and two versions were recorded in Folk Stories of Canton, edited by Liu Wanzhang in 1929. They are as follows: The younger sister and wife of He Renjian got along very well together. In fact, they were so fond of each other that they vowed to die on the same day, even though they could not have been born on the same day. One day, He’s wife was struck with a serious illness. Sensing that her sister-inlaw was near death, He’s sister hurried to prepare the funeral clothing. Unfortunately, He’s sister was too anxious and, while walking, she fell down from the upper floor of the house and died. Saddened by the terrible news, He’s wife also died. To respect the wishes of his wife and sister, He Renjian looked for a suitable site to bury them. Guided by a kind Earth Goddess, who appeared as an ordinary old woman, He Renjian successfully found a site to bury the two women together. The site was said to be so auspicious that it brought good fortune to the He lineage for generations thereafter. The second version of the Sisters-in-Law Tomb legend, collected by Liu Wanzhang, alleged that the “sisters-in-law” actually referred to the mother and aunt, rather than sister and wife, of He Renjian.3 However, what attracts our attention is not the legend itself, but that this particular tomb for the sisters-in-law was, and still is, being worshipped as an ancestral tomb by one of the most distinguished lineages in the Pearl River Delta region. One may wonder if this ritual was an unusual local custom that evolved out of a complex historical-cultural process. To understand the issue, we must look into the early history of the He lineage in Shawan. According to the genealogy of the He lineage,4 four other tombs with ancestors of the He lineage should be present near the Sisters-in-Law Tomb. These included the tomb of He Chen, the third-generation ancestor; the tomb of He Renduo, who was referred to as the brother of He Renjian, or a cousin who did not share the same He ancestor in Shawan; the tomb of He Zhiteng, the ninth-generation ancestor of the Yi branch (fang); and an “auspicious tomb” (jimu) situated among the three abovementioned tombs.5 27 Women’s Images Reconstructed...