Spinsters' bitter vow

Liang Shanchang, of east Guangzhou's Jishan Village, wore her hair in a bun and participated in a ceremony organized by the village in which she swore she would never marry. She was in her late 20s when she did this to become a "zishunu" - a "woman who combs her own hair". Now 92, Liang is one of few zishunu still alive in South China's Guangdong Province.

Women would wear their hair in buns to show they were married during the time.

In the early 20th century in Guangdong, some women tried to break away from the restrictions of marriage by becoming zishunu.

But Liang had different motivations for her decision. Her only siblings were her three older sisters, all of whom married and left home when she was in her 20s.

"My mother then asked me to become a zishunu and take care of her," Liang says. "I was very obedient and agreed."

The village head presided over the big ceremony for Liang to become a zishunu. "There was no way I could have broken my vow," Liang says.

"I have never fallen in love. No man has ever chased me," she adds. "I am very happy though; I am freer than married women."

Zishunu must toil laboriously to support their families, but they usually lead very lonely lives after reaching old age.

When Liang was younger, she supported herself and her mother by planting and selling oranges. Now, she is too old to work. Her sole income is her 120-yuan ($15) monthly allowance provided by the village committee.

Liang lives in a small room built by a relative. All of her sisters have passed away, and today, her closest living relatives are her distantly related nephews. "They and their sons often visit me, bringing a lot of happiness to my life," Liang says with tears in her eyes.

All her life, she had to do everything herself: washing clothes by hand and cooking on a simple coal stove.

With pork prices hovering around 30 yuan ($4) per kilogram, Liang says she usually makes do with just rice and vegetables.

Her most prized possessions are pictures of her with her distant nephews. Liang craves emotional ties with her blood relations.

A woman would become a zishunu after the village leaders made the announcement in a public ceremony.

She had to support not just herself but also her whole family.

While they may resemble a modern career woman, most often, zishunu suffered tragic fates.

According to local convention, if a zishunu broke her oath and ever had an affair with a man, she would meet a very peculiar death: She would be locked in a pig cage, which would be plunged in a river until she drowned.

When a zishunu dies, her family could not claim her body.

Since zishunu cannot marry, most of them must pay huge sums of money to families whose sons have died, and then hold wedding ceremonies to marry the dead men's spirits. Only when this is been done can the families take the zishunu's bodies.

This is called maimenkou, or "buying a gate".

There are dozens of zishunu in Guangzhou. Most of them live in Huangcun village.

According to village statistics, there are now 22 zishunu living in the region.

There are some other places in Guangdong with many zishunu, most of which are concentrated in Foshan City and Zhaoqing City.

There are more than 100 zishunu in Shunde District, of Foshan, the oldest being 101 years old and the youngest aged 74. Eleven live in Zhaoqing.

Those zishunu worked in South East Asian Countries, usually as maids.

They sent almost all of their earnings to their hometowns to support their families, while they themselves lived austere lives. Some even died of illnesses abroad.

"The existence of zishunv is a special phenomenon particular to Guangdong Province," says history professor of Sun Yet-sun University Liang Biying. "In order to escape from a feudal marriage, some women chose this extreme option." Feudal Chinese society (before 1949) was extremely unjust to women.

Zishunu first appeared in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong.

According to historical records, the silkworm-farming industry was very popular in Shunde District, Foshan City, at that time. Many women engaged in the industry and earned decent incomes. Because they were economically independent, they would not only support themselves but also their families.

Once they got married, however, the women would have to give up their job and stay home to take care of the family. Local tradition placed many restrictions on women, and some were bullied by their husbands and other family members.

As the silkworm-farming industry declined in southern China in the 1930s, some young and unmarried women left for South East Asia to seek work.

Many of these women led single lives. When they were in their 50s or 60s, they held some ceremonies honoring the sky and the earth, and vowed to never marry.

They were the last group of zishunu in history. Though the last zishunu will die within a decade or two, this phenomenon will forever remain a vivid and bitter memory for the people of Guangdong.

"Most of the zishunu are in their 80s and 90s, and they don't have children or close relatives. So, their care as provided by the village committee or government is especially important," says deputy secretary of Jishan Village Committee Pan Runxuan.

Now, Huangcun village has established health records for every villager, including the zishunu.

"Our staff visit the zishunu regularly and provide health checkups for free. And the zishunu can call us if they have any health problems," says Luo Chaoxiong, director of Huangcun Community Hospital.

In Foshan, the Charity Federation of Shunde District donated 5.5 million yuan ($714,000) to the zishunu living in the region last year and established health records for them.

Under the program, each zishunu receives 5,000 yuan (US$649) in medical aid annually.

(China Daily 07/27/2007 page20)