ABSTRACT
The annexation of parts of China by various foreign powers in the mid-nineteenth century was important in precipitating change and marked the start of a turbulent period, spanning about a century, in which foreign intervention, internal rebellion, and civil war rocked society. Significantly, the implementation of the 1950 marriage law gave women political and legal equality with men. In traditional China, marriage and divorce were an issue for the family, not the individual. Under Mao’s regime, marriage and divorce became a public and political issue. In China since 1980, in short, the concept of marital love is no longer based on class division or political background, but on individual feeling. Romantic love is considered essential for marriage by the younger generation. Thus the most significant change that the interviews revealed in the attitudes of Nanjing women towards marriage and divorce is their new acceptance of the idea of marriage based on love, and thus also of the freedom to divorce.
