Female suicide was common in Ming Dynasty. What is the reason?

The feudal society in China began to decline in the Ming Dynasty. Due to the Confucian thought of "attaching importance to righteousness" and the concept of "being faithful all one's life", female suicide was common in Ming Dynasty.

At that time, female suicide was in sharp contrast with the past. The number of women who committed suicide in the Ming Dynasty is unmatched by previous dynasties. There are many reasons for suicide, and there are many ways to commit suicide.

The most common phenomenon of female suicide in Ming Dynasty was martyrdom, and they insisted on being faithful to one's life. One is married, and she will die after her husband dies. There is also a woman whose fiance died and committed suicide to show her chastity.

"Ming history? Biography of Women said that women who devoted themselves to chastity "wrote more than 10,000 kinds of records and county records". And recorded the historical facts of more than 300 women's martyrdom. Volume 28 of "Records of Only Crimes" also recorded 87 women and 35 women, including the so-called Sixteen Fierces in Xuzhou, Two Fierces in Fengxian, Eight Fierces in Xiaoxian, Eight Fierces in Peixian, Sixteen Fierces in Dangshan, Five Fierces in Fengxian and Six Fierces in Shexian.

In addition to double suicide, there is a very common reason why women committed suicide in the Ming Dynasty, that is, they committed suicide to preserve their honor. At that time, the concepts of "men and women are different" and "men and women are not close" were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Many women often end their lives just because of small things.

Widows are afraid of suicide because others love them; Accidental skin contact with other men; What's more, if you meet a robber, you will choose to commit suicide in order to prevent being defiled by others. In a word, their health and honor are more important than anything, even life. There are many reasons for suicide, such as parents marrying people they don't like and committing suicide, and some people report their death after their parents die.

At that time, during the war, many officials and ordinary people in cities and villages often died because of defeat. In this kind of suicide, collective suicide accounts for the majority, and there are also many women.

There are many ways for women to commit suicide in Ming Dynasty, including: self-drowning, self-stabbing, self-strangulation, hunger strike, hitting rocks, throwing cliffs, taking poison, etc.

This is a morbid social phenomenon, which is produced under the control of special ideas. It is a great neglect and trampling on women's body and mind.