Letter from Feng Yen to his Brother-in-law Reflection

In a letter from Feng Yen to his brother-in-law, Feng Yan explains to his brother-in-law why he must divorce his wife. Feng asserts, “According to the rules of society that have been set down by the sages, a gentleman should have a primary wife and a concubine as well.” Feng then explains that since his wife seeks to change the definition of marriage by denying him a concubine, Feng has is forced to seek a divorce. In Feng Yen’s letter, it is argued that marriage was essentially a hierarchical relationship between husband and wife, master and servant, due to gender inequality. Because of this, if two persons of the same gender were to marry, it would be impossible to define who was superior and subordinate. Today, however, it is recognized that marriage is a relationship between equals. Because of this, same-gender couples should not be excluded from marriage. I thought this letter was a very interesting glimpse into Chinese marriage and gender history in early China, and it definitely revealed how much marriage has evolved over the course of human history, especially the idea of marriage equality and same-sex marriage. I also thought it was interesting to see how although the reality of same-sex love and marriage was understood in early China, it was not necessarily embraced because of the gender order and hierarchy in place.