“Child Bridge” System My topic will be the “child bridge” system and the traditional rural life in China toward to the story “Xiao Xiao” by Sheng Congwen. The story is mainly about a young girl, Xiao Xiao who enters into the child bridge system with no choice and facing the struggle between the modern and traditional Chinese culture. Child bridge system was an unfair system that use to against women and was very common in rural China. It was an arranged marriage which daughter in the poor family would sell to a rich family for economic support. The daughter would marry with a male member of the rich family who was younger than themselves as the wife and a labor. There is no love between the couple. In rural China, women’s life …show more content…

When Xiao Xiao has sex with Motley Mutt and getting pregnant, she is not regret to having sex with Motley Mutt, but fear her belly will get bigger and bigger, so people would know it and she will get trouble. Sheng Congwen is illustrating all types of problems and situations that women will face in Chinese society such as fornication and punishment. In traditional Chinese society, women would get punishment if they had sex with other man who was not their husband. Even thought the women’s husband was a little kid, they have to keep their purity in order to give their husband when he is growing up. The punishments are either drowned by their families or sold off. Xiao Xiao is the most luck one whose adultery was discovered and still alive without any punishment. She can gives birth and raise her son. She can still married to the boy that she is betrothed to and have a happy family. In traditional Chinese society, people were following the Confucianism. Chinese women had to obey the “three obediences and four virtues” according to Confucianism. The three obediences were obey her father before marriage, obey her husband after marriage and obey her son after the husband’s death. The four virtues were propriety in speech, morality, modest manner and diligent work. If women breaking down either one of those laws,