ABSTRACT
With a country so vast as China, whose population is composed ot so many races, only bound together by a common culture, it is not surprising to find that the customs relating to the marriage ceremony differ slightly from province to province. The wonder is that there is so much uniformity, for tribes recently absorbed, like the Manchus, would tend to preserve their primeval practice. Apart from local variation, however, the framework remains constant throughout the country, and the Chinese notion of what corresponds to our table of consanguinity is universally accepted. Inbreeding is effectually prevented by the custom that no union shall take place between two bearers of the same clan name, though there is no more blood relationship between them than would exist between a Mr. Smith of Stepney and a girl whose ancestors followed the same profession in Stuttgart.
